The Strategist and Marksman's adventure in Fódlan
by Thatauthoryouhate
Summary: Due to a certain mystic and her shenanigans, Guo Jia and Saika Magoichi are sent to the world of Fódlan.
1. Another world

It was odd how people were able to cope with the most unearthly of places. Camped in one such place were the heroes united across time via Orochi's sorcery. How long it had been, no one could really be certain due to the collective amount of time travel that had occurred. Still, the humans and a handful of demons were dealing with the environment as best they can.

It was on an unusually quiet day that a pair of the more laid-back humans were enjoying each others company. Guo Jia was on the pale side of things and sported sandy almost shoulder length hair. He had fair features and would most often be seen sporting a care-free smile. He wore his signature outfit of a predominantly blue robe, sporting black and white sleeves trimmed with gold. Not too far from him embedded slightly in the ground was a long azure pole made of wood, and capped either end in gold.

His companion, Saika Magoichi on the surface looked a very different man. He was slightly taller than Guo Jia and had a much healthier complexion. His hair is spiked and dark chestnut in hue. Magoichi's face was also more mature, assisted by the stubbled beard he was sporting. His clothing was approaching that of a cowboy, shining green predominantly, though it is dulled by the sand coloured poncho draping over his shoulders. Unlike Guo Jia, Magoichi was a little more battle ready, sporting bandoliers around his torso, his gun shouldered instead of put to one side.

These two men were gently sipping on rice wine in Jia's case and sake in Magoichi's as they admired the various women in camp. To be more specific they were admiring the Mystical women in camp. Currently that encompassed Nu Wa, Kaguya and Sanzang. The pair refused to acknowledge Da Ji as a mystic for the sake of this, as that would have been far too dangerous ground to tread.

While Sanzang was a lithe beauty and Kaguya was the spitting image of a princess, both men had agreed that Nu Wa was the most appealing of the three. "Would it not brighten our day if she were to join us?" Jia suggested with a smile. Magoichi took a final sip of his current sake, draining it. "Leave it to me then" Magoichi responded with confidence as he made his way to Nu Wa. Jia chuckled softly to himself before following shortly after, ready to provide an exit should he offend the mystic.

"All by your lonesome again? What a sin that is" Magoichi lamented light-heartedly as he approached Nu Wa. "I am awaiting lord Cao Cao's return, I would ask you leave me do so in peace" She returned in a non-too receptive manner. Many people would take such a request seriously however, Magoicihi was not one to be deterred. "Then join us for a moment, we won't be too disruptive." Magoichi gestured to Jia as he spoke. "Master Guo Jia" She nodded in acknowledgement. "Please take your associate and leave me be for now" Her tone was much more relaxed when speaking to Jia, though the message was still clear.

Guo Jia put a hand on Magoichi's shoulder "While I too would like nothing more than to have Nu Wa grace us with her company, if she is waiting on our lord there is little that will dissuade her from that task" Magoichi's shoulder dropped in response. "Alright, another time beautiful" He admitted his defeat and began to walk away. Nu Wa gave Guo Jia a look to say 'If he tries that again, it will not end as cordially.' Jia offers a light bow and leaves to catch up with Magoichi, who had made his way over to Sanzang. 'Well, he gets past such set back rather easily' he thought merrily.

Magoichi approached Sanzang with more hope than with Nu Wa, Sanzang was usually more receptive to people in general. "Magoichi!" She greeted him with enthusiasm. "Sanzang, a ray of sunshine as ever" He responded with a grin. It was then he noticed a mischievous glint in Sanzang's eye. "This may be sudden but may I ask for some help?" She asked him hopefully. Magoichi was never one to deny aid to a pretty girl, but even he was hesitant at that moment.

It was then that Jia had caught up to his companion and Sanzang's attention snapped to him. "Actually if someone goes with you it might be safer" She said, her tone turning a little timid. Guo Jia placed his palm to his forehead. "What has Magoichi agreed to do?" He asked with a sigh. "I didn't agree to anything yet" Magoichi was quick to respond. As the two men spoke to each other Sanzang produced a large grey feather surrounded by a mint green aura. "This" She said loudly to get the men's attention. "Will almost definitely send you somewhere. I don't know where though." She frowned slightly before continuing. "So I need someone to find out where it goes, so I decided to ask Magoichi." She fluttered her eyes at Magoichi. "He's usually so helpful." Guo Jia tried to hide a grimace unsuccessfully. He knew that was the kind of talk that could get Magoichi to accept almost any task.

Not wanting to let Sanzang down Magoichi gently took the feather from her and examined it briefly. "So, how do I get it to work?" He asked. "Oh, make sure Master Guo is also holding it first." She clapped her hands faintly. To his credit Guo Jia put a hand to the feather, opting to not let his friend brave the "Test" alone. As soon as he touched the feather an azure blue spark left Sanzang's hands and hit the feather.

The desolate landscape that was their campsite very quickly crumbled away and they found themselves in the familiar portal like stasis they were sent to whenever they fixed timelines. The pair could do little more than stay in place and wait to be spat out where it was they were being sent.

Back at camp Sanzang looked at where the two previously stood, seeing the feather lie on the ground. She began to worry. "I forgot to tell them how to get back" She muttered worriedly under her breath, before running over to Nu Wa.

After roughly five minutes the pair of Guo Jia and Magoichi Saika found a landscape slowly materialising around them. The land was very easily identifiably as a desert and they appeared to be near the base of a handful of mountains. While they could identify the sort of terrain they found themselves in, neither could name where they were. At the very least they knew that this was a possibility.

Magoichi began to pat himself down, seemingly everything was still in tact. Guo Jia felt no need, as all he had were his clothes and pole. "So what now?" Magoichi asked in a casual manner, taking a moment to have another look around his surroundings. "Well, first things first let's establish a camp before scouting around shall we?" Guo Jia offered quickly. Magoichi nodded in acknowledgement. "Base of the mountain's will be better than open desert I should think" Magoichi chimed in response before heading towards the nearest mountain. No knowing if there were enemies around made Guo Jia a little uneasy, though he shook it off when he realistically concluded the two of them could not fight off even a scouting force alone.

As they approached the base of the mountain, Magoichi was picking up all the stray twigs and sticks he passed. Meanwhile Guo Jia was lost in thought, debating what the best course of action would be now. He was inwardly debating about whether to draw as much attention as possible and hope the locals were friendly. Or if it would be better to stay hidden and hug the mountains until they could ascertain whether they'd be safe or not.

Guo Jia did not get as much time to be trapped in his thought as he'd like, as they were at the mountain base in no time. Magoichi began piling his accumulated twigs into a crude but functional campfire shape. Once Jia had seen how much "Firewood" had been gathered his mind was made up. Time to run his risky idea by Magoichi. "Mago, How much attention do you think this will gather" He asked gesturing to the man's campfire. Magoichi's face lit in recognition as he caught on to what Jia was thinking. "A good few Ri if people are looking out for it." He stroked his chin before smiling. "I hope the locals are beautiful." A soft chuckled escaped from his lips. Guo Jia shook his head but smiled none the less. "I'll settle for them not wanting to kill us".

Meanwhile in Garreg Mach Monastery, Lady Rhea and Seteth were in the cathedral discussing the new year's students who were already beginning to arrive. Of note the three future leaders of the main territories of Fodlan were due to attend and as such a certain level of care needed to be taken. "I have no real concerns, but it is important to discuss them none the less." Seteth said matter of factly to Rhea. Unfortunately at the moment a look of pain flashed across her features. "Rhea, is everything alright?" He asked with concern.

It took a moment for Rhea to even contemplate responding, as the foreign sensation left her being. "It has passed Seteth." She offered in reassurance, smiling serenely at her companion. "Although I will need to speak to one of the senior knights immediately." Seteth looked at her quizzically, but raised no complaint. "I believe Shamir is still away and Alois is currently in charge of our future leader; however I shall summon Catherine Immediately." He offered a polite bow before leaving her company.

Rhea stood alone, in the light piercing through the predominant window in the Cathedral. Her thoughts dwelt on the foreign sensation she felt mere moments ago. It was as if a blinding light manifested inside of her head and given a physical weight. She could gain little insight as to what that meant, the only information it imprinted was the cause. Something was in the Varley territory and she would need to rely on her knights to deal with it.

True to his word, it did not take long for Catherine to appear before her. Catherine took a knee before Rhea before speaking. "Lady Rhea, you have need of me?" She asked, direct and to the point. Rhea nodded "I do, please listen carefully." She paused for a moment to prepare her words. "There are details that are unknown to me still, for now I ask you head to Varley territory and search for anything out of the ordinary." She offered her usual reassuring smile.

Catherine returned to her feet and softly rubbed the back of her head. "I don't mind but, is there nothing more to go on?" She did not like to question Rhea on such things, but she did feel as if the task was too vague. Rhea shook he head dismissively "I am sorry, I can only hope whatever you find is apparent in its form." It was not an everyday occurrence that Rhea would be unclear on something.

A second of silence passed before Catherine nodded "Alright then, I'll round-up a few knights and head out." A smile graced her features. "I'll be back shortly and with good news" She announced, before waving a farewell.

Rhea was once again left alone to ponder as she watched her friend leave. On paper Varley was less than a days travel away; however to conduct a thorough search of the territory could take weeks. Hopefully the search would not take long, but there were no guarantees in the mysterious endeavour.

Dusk arrived swiftly for the duo of Guo Jia and Saika Magoichi. Their fire was lit and producing an adequate amount of smoke, harder to see with the fading light. Magoichi huffed as he stared into the flames. "It'll be cold shortly Jia." He stated. "Likely, but there are solutions if need be." Jia to his credit, responded jovially.

A few moments passed, light still barely illuminating the sky. Magoichi tensed and his attention was taken from the fire. Jia noticed the shift immediately. "Hmm, have we managed to draw attention already?" He asked softly. Not softly enough as Magoichi shushed him. Jia's senses could not pick out anything particularly out of the ordinary. Magoichi on the other hand could hear the distinct sound of boots hitting sand.

The original plan was to draw attention to themselves and Magoichi confirmed they had done just that. There was no merit to hiding now and as such Jia rised to his feet, preparing to greet whoever was out there. "Should we make some noise Mago?" He queried seemingly out of whimsy. Magoichi shook his head in response, and took the opportunity to stand next to his friend. "Nah, it'll only be a matter of time." He still took the opportunity to caress his finger over the trigger of his one of a kind musket, affectionately called "Marksman's pride".

A heartbeat later and a figure appeared popped into their line of sight. The figure dressed head to toe in iron plate armour, the most distinguishing part being the distinctly mitre like shape of the armour's helmet. Despite the fully armed figure approaching them, the pair did not feel under immediate threat.

Worry did not set in even when two more figures appeared, garbed in a similar fashion. Finally a fourth figure revealed themselves. This woman had her face showing for all to see. Her hair was fair, and although on the short side was tied back and away from her face. Her cobalt eyes had the interesting effect of drawing ones attention away from the metallic glare of her armour. At her hip she as usual carried the jagged blade Thunderbrand. "G-Ginchiyo?" Magoichi broke the silence as he asked in shock. "Oh my, it is a strong resemblance" Jia mused with a chuckle. "But I believe you are mistaken Mago" He shook his head.

None of the knights of Seiros moved too close to the pair as it was Catherine's duty to do so. She approached the duo with confidence that befitted a master swordsman and stopped only a few steps away, ignoring the taller man's odd question. "I am Catherine, knight of Seiros. We were here investigating when we saw the smoke, what was the purpose?" She queried, straight to the point. Jia took the responsibility of explaining themselves. "Well my lady, I'll be brief. We are unfamiliar with this area and thought it unwise to wander around a desert. We put together a fire here in hopes of not having to brave the elements." Jia was rather appreciative of Magoichi's ability to not point out his commissions.

Catherine nodded in understanding. While it was not the main objective, it would do no good to leave the two men stranded there. "Alright, we always have a spare tent and you can double up." She eyed the fire followed by looking to the sky. She sighed slightly. "May as well set up camp here" She ordered, and the handful of knights that accompanied her began to collect provisions from their mounts. "We are most grateful" Jia added with a polite bow. When Catherine waved the gesture off his body language in general loosened.

Magoichi watched the entire exchange in silence and it wasn't until he believed the "Business" end of the discussion were over did he decide to chime in. "So beautiful, what brings you all out here any way?" He flashed a toothy smile at their saviour. She turned her gaze upon Magoichi and tutted. "I'd have your names first." It would appear Magoichi jumped the gun a little. "Saika Magoichi, you may call me Magoichi" He offered up a stage bow. "And I am Guo Jia," He was also interested in why the knights were here, but would not press the matter yet.

Catherine took a mental note of their names before speaking once more. "As for why we're here, Lady Rhea ordered a search of the area, she believes something strange occurred here." She grinned easily "Come to think of it, if you've been lost around here, notice anything out of place?" She did her utmost to conceal her hope.

The two men exchanged a brief look that she could not decipher, fortunately Guo Jia opted to clarify. "While I do not wish to cause you concern, I believe we may have had something to do with that." It was at this point Magoichi opted to return to the campfire, he knew his particular brand of conversation would muddy things here.

A tense pause and Jia began to fear this approach was incorrect. "If that is true" She thankfully did make Jia wait overly long. "Then you will need to accompany us back to Garreg Mach and explain yourselves to Lady Rhea." While this was not an overt threat, Jia did not feel their was an alternative here. "As you wish then" He nodded his response. The unease between the two dissipated And Catherine's attention was diverted to organizing the setting up of tents.

Jia rejoined Magoichi by the fire. "It would seem we're off to see someone of import" Jia announced. Magoichi flashed a smile in response, it would seem they were getting somewhere. "My current guess is this realm's equivalent of a mystic, I anticipate so at least." Jia finished voicing his thoughts.

It was only a few minutes later one of the knights clad in plate approached them and showed them to their tent. It was larger than they expected and would easily accommodate a third man easily. The pair thanked the knight and began making themselves comfortable. Each man lay down on an opposite side of the tent, leaving a sizeable gap between them. "I hope they don't intend to break camp on military hours" Jia yawned out as he began to stretch. "Best rest well now you've doomed us to it" Magoichi responded with a chuckle. He placed his head down and closed his eyes. It took only seconds for the tent to be filled with the light snores of Saika Magoichi. Not long after Jia joined him in peaceful slumber.

The distinct sound of a horn being blown pierced the duos slumber and both groggily made their way into consciousness. Jia rubbed an ache that formed at the base of his neck. "Yeah, that's what I expected" He croaked out with a dry chuckle. He sat up and looked over at Magoichi, taking a little comfort in his friend seeming to have weathered the night in a similar manner.

Before the pair could offer each other morning greeting, a familiar blond stuck her head through the entry of the tent. "Up you two get, we move in 10." Once more she was straight to the point. Once she left the duo took little time in collecting themselves and left the tent shortly after. The instant they exited their tent, a pair of the knights already began to dismantle it. "I will admit, that's impressive" Jia offered through a yawn.

Shortly after Catherine approached the pair again. "We'll be riding to Garreg Mach soon, are you able to ride a horse?" She questioned. The pair both nod to confirm. "Excellent, you'll have to ride the spares but they're safe enough." Her tone sounded cheerful.

As if on cue, the pair of knights they saw earlier approached with standard appearing horses in tow. They handed them over and both men took a minute to acquaint their mounts to their presence. Traces of night-time could no longer be seen and Catherine took this as a good enough reason to set off. She mounted her own horse swiftly and with practised ease. The pair of Jia and Magoichi took the hint and likewise mounted their horses, both with grace.

It appeared as if the few men who accompanied Catherine also took to her lead and had also mounted. The flanked Jia and Magoicihi and waited in place until Catherine gave the order. "To garreg Mach" She announced.

There was a distance covered where the landscape changed little and all that could be seen was the barren sites a desert usually offered up. Jia found the place rather grim and lamented for a moment how much trouble Magoichi and himself would have been in had they chosen to search people out. He quickly shook such thought away, little point in thinking about such horrid what-ifs. He gave his horse a light kick to speed it up, leaving the side of their "Escort" To join Catherine's side.

Jia cleared his throat before speaking. "So, Catherine" He said as clearly as he could, considering the pair were on horseback. She grunted an acknowledgement, this gave Jia the notion she may not have been the most skilled at horse-riding. "I may not have mentioned but myself and Magoichi are both new to the land, it would be rather kind if you told me a little about where it is we're actually going. Garreg Mach?" A moment of silence followed, causing him to fear the sound of hoof-beats drowned him out. He was about to repeat himself before Catherine broke her silence. "You're pulling my leg" She stated. This cause Jia to frown. "I can assure you I am not." Catherine sighed in response. "I'll give you the quick version then." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Garreg Mach is headquarters to the Church of Serios and houses many of its worshippers, alongside priests and warriors in its service." She thought for a moment. "If you're wondering geographically, its smack in the middle of the three major territories. Rather useful for the home of the lands religion" She smiled smugly. "Three major territories?" Jia asked prompting a sigh from Catherine. "Seriously? Alright, well short version again. We have the Leicester Alliance, The Holy Kingdom of Faergus and Adrestrian Empire." She explained.

Jia nodded his head and committed these facts to memory. "My thanks for that" He saluted her in merry fashion before slowing his pace to match back with Magoichi. Jia conveyed the information he just learned to him. "Huh, that's a whole lot of land for Orochi to absorb at once" He scratched his head. "Unless we left Orochi's world behind." Jia mused. Magoichi did not look to keen on the idea. The rest of the journey was uneventful and the group journeyed in peace.

When they began the approach to Garreg Mach, Jia could not help but admire the scale of the outer walls. 'Useless if not manned properly' He mused, resisting the urge to chuckle. "What's tickling you?" Magoichi asked. Apparently Jia's efforts to hide he amusement were not thorough enough to escape Magoicih's attention. "Nothing, too many battles effecting my thoughts is all" He responded softly while shaking his head.

It came as a surprise to Jia when it was revealed they still had a bit of a trek to anywhere of importance. The pair obediently followed Catherine and her companions to their destination.

Admittedly neither of the duo were sure what to expect, but being place in a room by themselves and told to "Wait patiently" Was not the exciting answer they had hoped for. "Got to imagine we're not related to what they needed to retrieve if they just stick us here." Magoichi complained in a light-hearted fashion. "Or there are more pressing concerns" Jia countered. "I'm not sure which case I'd prefer" He stroked his chin in thought. He did not have long to ponder as the door to their temporary haven opened.

Through the door steeped a man with dim mint hair and eyes to match. His face framed with facial hair, matching the top of his head in shade. He was garbed in a clearly militaristic, navy coloured outfit trimmed with a golden pattern. The man offered a courteous bow. "Apologies for the wait, Lady Rhea had some matters to attend" He stood back upright. "If you'd care to follow me, she is keen to verify who you are." The formal tone never left his words.

The duo followed the man and were taken to yet another part of the monastery. Jia noted that while they were not taking anything akin to secret pathways, their route did not take them past any other people. They soon found themselves in front of an sturdy looking door.

The Green haired man knocked on the door firmly twice. "Come in Seteth." A feminine voice responded. The green haired man known as Seteth opened the door in obligation and held it invitingly for the duo to enter. Jia and Magoichi both entered and were greeted by a room that looked designed for worship but the existence of a wide bed betrayed its use as someone's quarters. The pair would have taken more of the room in but a divine beauty stood in the room, drawing their attention.

Lady Rhea had a fair complexion and her cheeks would often hold a rosy tint. Her hair braided thick and long, its colour a few shades lighter than Seteth's. Her eyes in a similar fashion to Seteth matched her hair colour. Her attire was that of a priestess only much more grandiose, assumedly to signify how important she was in the organisation.

Rhea held a calming smile the entire time the duo stared at her. "I welcome you her to Garreg Mach strangers. I am Lady Rhea." She introduced herself, her voice sounding as tender as her visage gave off. Magoichi was the first to get his bearing back. "A pleasure to meet you Lady Rhea, I am Saika Magoichi" A cocksure smile grace his lips. "And may I say, seeing you in person made the trip worth while" He complimented. Rhea placed her fingertips over her mouth to suppress a chuckle. Jia, not wanting to appear rude spoke up next. "I am Guo Jia, I believe we may have accidentally caused a problem. The Lady Catherine was a little vague" He offered almost apologetically.

Rhea focused her attention on Jia, as entertaining a pleasant chat with the pair could be, answers were now a top priority. "Yesterday, I felt something strange, I did not know what cause it so I sent Catherine to investigate." She took a breath. "How are you related?" She asked, eager to get answers. "Please keep an open mind here" Jia answered nervously and began to explain what had happened with Sanzang and the feather that got them there in the first place.

After Jia finished his explanation, he fully expected to be met with scepticism, he was surprised when Rhea responded rather unfazed. "It is not unknown to us that other worlds exists. Though the Dragongate in our world has not been active in centuries." She spoked through her thoughts. "Although, you mentioned using a feather and not one of the gates." She sighed softly. "I am afraid this situation is new to me" Was her final thought on the matter. "So, this is not the norm here and we do not know how to get home" Jia simply stated. "Well, we can at least stay here right?" Magoichi chimed in with optimism. "I'm already a fan of the locals" He offered Rhea a wink.

"Awfully bold of you, inviting yourself to stay" Seteth spoke up for the first time, drawing Magoichi's attention away from Rhea. "It would be rather kind of you to allow us to stay, at least until we can find a way back" Jia quickly butted in before Magoichi could retort. "It is not that simple, this is a place of worship, military installation and a school. There would be more than a few questions if two oddly dressed men started to be seen around the monastery." Seteth explained matter of factly.

A lightbulb turned on inside Jia's head. "A proposition then." Jia said. Seteth arched a brow in response. "If this is a military installation and a school, it is easy to deduce that which is taught here is of a militaristic nature no?" He asked. Seteth nodded to affirm Jia's deduction. "Well, Magoichi and I are adept when it comes to the art of war, in different ways granted." Seteth's eye lit with a spark of realization as to what Jia was going to suggest. "I propose, you simply present us as teachers. This way we can impart knowledge to your students and we can stay here while we search for a way home." Jia smiled in victory. "Was I see it, that's a win win" Magoichi chimed in.

Seteth was hesitant to agree, not because he did not want them to stay he was not heartless after all. No it was because he did not know the men well enough to let them interact with the students that called the monastery home. Unfortunately for him Rhea spoke up. "That is a wonderful proposition, and I am willing to give you both a chance" She said softly. "If Lady Rhea had no issues then I will allow it" Seteth sighed in defeat. Jia clapped his hand together in victory "Then I suppose we should meet our fellow teacher no?" He asked jovially.

The school year would certainly prove to be an interesting one.


	2. New faces

The meeting with Rhea and Seteth was over, resulting in the duo of Guo Jia and Saika Magoichi securing a place to stay while they figured out a way to return home. Outside of the room they met in a nondescript scholarly looking man waited for them. "If you'd follow me please, I am to show you which quarters you may name yours" He explained, nodding his head. Jia speculated they would have been allowed to at least stay the night as there would be no other explanation for how fast such a message could be sent.

The pair gestured for the man to lead the way and he did so. It was quickly evident that they were led a very different route than the one they took to get to the meeting. There also did not seem too great a distance from where they just were, having turned only two corners and travelled down an admittedly lengthy hallway.

At the end of the hallway the scholarly man stopped and produced a simple looking key which he easily slide into the lock. With a soft click it unlocked and he handed the key to Magoichi. "Do look after it won't you" The man offered up in caution before being on his merry way. The pair exchanged looks, before Magoichi took the initiative and entered the room. "So they expect us to share huh?" He asked rhetorically. The room itself was quite spacious even for a pair of grown men to share.

Jia rubbed his chin in thought. "Hmm, if this was meant as little more than a temporary place for us to say then it is not surprising" He offered a chuckle. "A few words with Rhea and we can likely remedy it." Jia offered in comfort as he took the liberty to sit on the edge of one of the beds. Bar the size of the room, it was otherwise fairly standard. A rug decorated the floor and a large desk clearly meant for writing or other work related activities was the only non-bed furniture.

Following Jia's lead, Magoichi sat on the edge of the opposing bed and stretched lazily. "Suppose you're right." He yawned out. "Think I can get away with some sleep?" He asked his companion. "I see no reason why not, although I would like to explore the grounds a little before nightfall" Jia answered with a smile. Magoichi waved him off. "Go nuts, I'll join you when I catch up on sleep." Magoichi had already began lying down and had closed his eyes.

Deciding that sleep could definitely wait, Jia got back to his feet and made his way out of the room. Having no layout of the monastery to go off of, he set about travelling the hallways in search of stairs, mentally mapping the way as he moved. After a solid five minutes of wondering his hunt was finally ended, and he descended a floor down to solid ground.

With exploration in mind Jia resolved to find where people gathered most of all, likely an area to dine. Having turned from the stairs there were two places he could go, one was a building across a bridge. The other a hallway of a sort, filled with a few people and table. The bridge's building seemed isolated from his perspective and he opted to go the more connected path.

Jia must have worn a confused expression as he was quickly approached by a short girl sporting hair similar to Lady Rhea's but more in line with Seteth's in shade. 'A relative of one? Or both?' He briefly wondered as the girl began to speak. "Excuse me, you are no here no? Do you need assistance finding somewhere?" The girl asked cheerfully yet with respect. "I am new here yes, still finding my bearings" He nodded his response. The Girl seemed to perk up, an amazing feat considering she already seemed generally enthusiastic. "Oh, in that case would you like me to show you around? I have nothing urgent to do." Jia nodded. "That would help greatly. I am Guo Jia" He bowed lightly as he introduced himself. "And I am Flayn" She offered her own small bow in response.

Flayn took a few steps away. "Well then follow me, firstly I will show you the dining hall" She announced eagerly. Jia obliged and began to walk by Flayn's side. The route to the dining hall was direct and blissfully not too far a distance from the stair Jia had descended. "There is plenty of food every day, so no need to limit yourself" She offered in welcome. Jia could smell the current bounty of Grilled fish a foot vegetables. This did not escape the notice of his young guide. "If you're hungry let us remedy that now before seeing more" Jia nodded gratefully. "Today's special is grilled herring I believe" Her tone indicated she was likely looking forward to a meal just as much if not more so than Jia.

The two sat down, the dining hall was rather empty at the time and so no one was likely to join them. Before the two, plates of shredded herring were placed, adorned with slices fresh cooked turnip. While this particular dish was new to Jia, he was eager to put something in his belly and happily dug in. This was all Flayn needed to see as she too decided to enjoy her food. Both soon ate their food, the fish had been grilled for the perfect amount of time leading Jia to make a point of indulging in the dish again whenever it was served.

Flayn smiled at Jia. "That was quite delicious, are you ready to continue looking around?" She asked, lightly dabbing the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief. "I am thank you" Jis responded.

The pair left the dining hall and Jia was met with the tell-tale smell of fresh water. "Is there a lake nearby?" Jia asked instantly prompting Flayn to giggle lightly. "No not quite, It is only a pond used mainly for fishing." She kept her smile throughout. "You may thank it for the herring you just ate" She added with some cheek. Jia couldn't help but smile. Flayn lead Jia down to the water's edge and the pair could spot several people making use of the pond's main feature. "It is free for anyone to use, though if you catch something delicious its appreciated if you share" She said with no hint of subtlety. "If I ever catch a juicy fish, you will be the first to know Flayn" Jia responded, resisting the urge to pat her on the head.

Within eyeshot of the Pond was a small glass structure, which is where Flayn lead Jia to next. Inside the structure the humidity was overbearing for Jia and even the appeal of the colourful plants being grown could not temp him to stay inside for longer than a few seconds. "My apologies Flayn, such conditions do not suit me" A frown graced his lips for a flash, if one was not looking closely they would have missed it. Either Flayn did not see it or had the tact to not address is. "It is fine, unless you wish to grow something it will be rather useless to you." Her cheerfulness never left her tone.

With little to add about the Greenhouse Flayn directed Jia up a small set of stair not far from it. "These are student dorms, each room gets assigned to a student." Jia looked at the row of rooms, noting most doors were open bar one. Jia raised a brow and voiced his question. "So if I may ask, why do they all seem vacant except this one?" He pointed at the offending room. "Hmm, the open doors are either vacant or the occupants are not around. Some one may wish to be left alone?" She answered in an open-ended fashion. Jia's curiosity was nagging at him; however being new here meant he kept it to himself.

Flayn harried them onwards, leading them to a sealed off area. "This is the training grounds. Or leads to them any way, I think it is being prepared for when the school year begins." She explained and the pair promptly moved on. They stopped for a moment as Flayn pointed out a courtyard and three large rooms baring a different banner in front of each. "This is where lessons will be held when this years students are all here." Jia detected a hint of longing in her tone. He did not get a chance to question it as Flayn had already started to move on.

Jia had come full circle, as Flayn stood at the base of the stairs he descended to start his exploration. "Well that is most of monastery" She gestured to the path he did not take at the beginning. "Across the bridge is the church, I would suggest holding off visiting there until you know what exactly your role here will be" She offered her advice. "Oh, I suppose it would take time to announce it. My associate and myself will be teaching here shortly, at least assisting in teaching." Flayn looked at him dubiously. "It does not sound like you know what you will be doing, but it is not my place to lecture you." She offered. "I will be by the fishing pond if you wish to speak with me" She bowed a goodbye. "Until next time Flayn." He offered, likewise bowing his head in farewell.

Despite what Flayn said, Jia opted to explore the church now and began making his way over the bridge leading to it. "Hey wait up!" A voice called from behind him. When Jia turned around he could see Magoichi jogging up to him. "A quick nap Mago" Jia mused with a grin. "Quick nap? It was an hour easy" Magoichi countered. Jia did not doubt the being in such pleasant company made the time fly by faster than he thought. "Still quick, I've seen Hanbei nap for an entire day." Jia offered with a smile, he somewhat envied the young tactician's ability to sleep the days away. Magoichi rolled his eyes, Hanbei was an anomaly and did not feel the need to point that out to Jia.

The duo continued to walk across the bridge, Magoichi being impressed on the whole by how the grand architecture was able to nestle amongst the mountains. The church itself had its own portcullis at its entrance, although it was currently open and the pair entered freely. The inside of the church was as large as the outside would suggest, Jia craned his neck back as far as was comfortable to look upon the ceiling. Magoichi was more focused on the lack of people inside, the only other occupants being a pair of people seemingly in discussion in the centre of the room and a lone looking priestess amongst the pews. Magoichi lightly elbowed Jia to get his attention, which it immediately did. Magoichi pointed at the two in the centre and Jia nodded in understanding. It was time to meet new people.

As the duo approached the people in conversation, the two's apparel became rather apparent. The older man on the right was wearing a brown teachers jacket over a green neckerchief being the only bit of colour on the man's outfit. The woman on the left however was dressed in a surprisingly revealing outfit. Her dress did an amazing job of revealing her silky legs as well as showing off her ample breasts. Her arms we covered by a pure white robe that flowed behind her, giving the allusion of a modest outfit if looked at from certain angles.

The two pairs stood in front of one another, the old man's eye lit up with recognition. "Ah, you are the very spit of how Seteth described" He said jovially. Jia and Magoichi were slightly at a loss. "Forgive me, I am Professor Hanneman, a teacher here at the academy" He offered a hand in introduction. Before anyone could accept it however, His companion butted in. "And I'm Manuela. I'm a Professor, a physician, a songstress, and available." She offered a pointed wink at the pair. "It's nice to meet you."

Magoichi wasted no time and sidled up to Manuela."I am Saika Magoichi, a pleasure" He introduced. Jia on the other hand opted to bow in greeting "And I am Guo Jia. A pleasure to meet you both." Hanneman lowered his hand and took note of Magoichi's sudden proximity to Manuela. "Quite, it is my understanding that you will be joining us by teaching here for the following year. An interesting choice, having four teachers for three houses." Hanneman mused as he gave Manuela and Magoichi a little more space.

"Come to think of it, we've not been told much about the actual classes right Jia?" Magoichi chimed in his thoughts. Jia shook his head in agreement. "Truly? That is unusual, Seteth briefed you himself no?" Hanneman expressed his surprise. "He did yes however, our recruitment was a tad rushed" Jia explained. "Well it can not be helped. The students of the officer academy our split in to three houses upon their enrollment. These houses are the Black Eagles, Blue Lions and Golden Deer. Now I could go into further detail about these houses but I believe it would be best if you learned a little from the students you may end up teaching. The majority of them have arrived by now." Hanneman offered the brief explanation. "Oh, I think most are dallying around the classrooms, I can show you there now if you'd like?" Manuela offered.

The duo accepted the offer gladly and Manuela led the two back across the bridge. Unsurprisingly to Jia, she had led them to where Flayn had pointed out earlier. "Well, I'll leave you boys to it" She said as farewell and waved lightly at the pair. Jia bowed in response and Magoichi offered a playful salute. "I'm gonna have fun getting to know her I think" Magoichi offered when he was sure she was out of earshot. "Now now, we're not going to be here forever Mago, do be careful about breaking hearts" Jia offered with an unusual frown. "Yeah yeah, so how are we going to go about introducing ourselves then?" Magoichi played off Jia's words of caution.

Jia for his part chose not to push the point. "I'll go investigate the Black Eagle room, you start with Golden deer. Hopefully that will cover all of our bases." Jia offered and began walking towards the aforementioned room.

Magoichi had no objections to Jia's "Plan of attack" and split from his side to enter the Golden Deer's room. On the whole, the room did not look much different from any classrooms he'd seen before, bar the western styled desks and chairs. Before he had the chance to take note of the occupants he was approached by a young man, wearing the military styled uniform he had seen many of the younger people wearing. The most notable feature on the young man was the purple coloured hair framing his face. "Greeting, may I ask why you are here sir?" The man asked. Magoichi could sense the aura of nobility pulsing from the man. "Well kid, I may have to work closely with one of these classes and thought it prudent to find out what I can before called into action" Magoichi smiled in a way that had won him many a girl. It did not seem enough to get the noble to open up. "Is that so? I was unaware of any new professors joining the Monastery." He challenged.

It was at that moment they were joined by another individual. She sported long bright pink pigtails which instantly drew Magoichi's attention. "Lorenz, what's going on?" She inquired. "This man claims to soon be a professor here, I have my doubts Hilda." He replied, drawing a sigh from Magoichi. "I actually only said I'd be working with one of the classes kid, you added the professor stuff" Magoichi explained. "Saika Magoichi, by the way" He added with a quick bow, imitating Jia's usual introduction. Lorenz looked agast. "Ah, my humblest apologies. Lorenz Hellman of house Gloucester." He bowed in a much more formal manner. "You can just call me Hilda" Hilda chimed in with a playful curtsey.

Magoichi would have laughed if it would not have come off as rude. 'Well at least I learned two names' He thought with amusement. "Well now we all know each other, mind helping me out?" He asked in good faith. Lorenz did not seem keen to answer but fortunately Hilda seemed amicable. "What would you like to know Saika?" She asked in return. "Anything you're willing about the Golden Deer really." Lorenz scoffed in response to that. "Well" Hilda started Hilda, ignoring Lorenz. "The Golden Deer house is the class all of use from the Leicester alliance have been placed into for the duration of our stay in the officers academy." She began. "We're more or less balanced with the amount of noble and common students. Most of us dabble in the bow too so if you're good at that you'll likely be popular here." She offered a smile. "If you want to learn more about any individual student you're probably best off waiting for Claude to get here, he knows us all surprisingly well." She finished her explanation.

Magoichi nodded his head. "I get it, so I'm probably not going to learn much more before this 'Claude' turns up?" He asked. "Nothing too specific any way." She answered quickly enough. Magoichi briefly wondered if this was her own way of not giving up any vital information to a stranger. "Well, guess I'll be back later. " He turned away from the pair and began to leave. "Take it easy kids." He waved lazily before exiting the classroom.

Meanwhile, Jia was beginning his jaunt into the Black Eagle classroom. Or at least he would be if he was not stopped at the entrance by a rather sinister looking man. "I suggest you not enter here unless you have business." The man said in a commanding manner. "I'd say I have business to conclude" Jia offered a disarming smile. The sinister man scoffed and began to ignore Jia. He took this as a sign to enter freely and did just that.

Not unlike Magoichi, Jia found little out of the ordinary in the room. He was however, pleasantly surprised by how full it seemed as several sets of eyes turned on him. He must not have been who they expected as several of them quickly lost interest, a shorter blue head boy even gave out an audible sigh. A woman with flowing brunette hair bucked the trend however by approaching him. "Hubie actually let someone in?" She asked him, not hiding her appraising gaze. "The man at door I assume, well I wouldn't say he let me in" Jia offered with a chuckle. "Well don't judge him too harsh, he's just waiting for someone and it's taking longer than expected" She may not of known but a look of worry graced her features. Whoever the class were waiting for must have been fairly important. "Ah well, I intended to learn more about the Black Eagle class but now seems a bad time." Jia explained dejectedly. The Brunette raised a brow at that. "Why is that?" She asked. "I will be assigned one of these classes to teach, the other professors suggested I get a feel for them." Jia flashed a smile. "Guo Jia at your service" He offered his usual bow of greeting.

The brunette looks slightly taken aback. "I suppose it would be odd to split three classes between two teachers." She explained. "Dorothea by the way" She bowed her head lightly. "Now I can't promise to explain everything to you, but I can try? Anything in particular you want to know?" She asked. "I will settle for knowing what determines who are enrolled into the Black Eagles, and if possible what the overall aim of its students are." Jia explained. "Well, the first is easy. The Black Eagles are made up of students from the territories within the Adestrian Empire." Dorothea explained. "As for the latter, well we have a lot of students who are gifted in the magical arts." She pointed at herself with a flourish. "Yours truly included, but to everyone's goals are hard to generalize. You'd need to ask everyone themselves." She said with a frown. "You've given me enough for now Dorothea. Thank you" Jia said with a nod. "Really?" She questioned. "Indeed" Jia chuckled softly before waving softly. Dorothea looked confused as he walked away, waving back lightly in obligation.

Unknown to Dorothea, Jia had learned much from the way the students held themselves. First and foremost that whoever it was that was missing was likely the common factor that held them together. Jia walked back past "Hubie" and the man's followed Jia's retreat. It seemed to him that "Hubie" was wary of him. Jia couldn't be sure if this was simply the man's nature of if he had something to hide. Jia was unlikely to find out today and thus resigned himself to investigating the Blue Lions classroom.

Unsurprisingly Magoichi was already outside the third classroom, leaning against the wall to the side. "What took ya?" He asked as Jia approached. "I bet you learned nothing" Jia teased in response. "You wound me Jia" Magoichi responded in mock offence. Jia chuckled in response before gesturing for Magoichi to enter the classroom. He willingly obliged, walking into the room with confidence. Jia followed behind.

The pair both noted the room was identical to the one they each visited before, the only noticeable difference being the blue lion banners adorning the room. The pair was almost instantly set upon by a broad-shouldered man with a tanned complexion. "Do you bring word of his majesty?" The man asked with a deep voice. "Can't say we do" Magoichi took the liberty to reply. Jia bowed his head slightly "Apologies, we're here to learn more about the Blue Lion house?" Jia asked with hope. The broad shouldered man shook his head "Find Seteth, or one of professors. There are more pressing matters" He explained, getting to the point. "I suppose their explanation will have to suffice then" Jia said with a sigh. Magoichi looked at him in disbelief. "We're giving up already?" He asked. "I can not speak for the Golden Deer, but both the Eagles and Lions now have been pre-occupied. We will likely not gain much here." Jia explained.

Magoichi let out a sigh before shrugging. The pair left the classroom and opted to return to their assigned quarters. It did not take them too long to return. "So what now?" Magoichi asked. "We could pester Seteth if we wished." Jia let out a yawn. "I for one wish to relax a moment." He then promptly lay on his bed. "Suppose that's fair." Magoichi agreed with a chuckle.

Some time had passed and it was now early evening. Magoichi has wasted much of his time idly playing with a bullet, manipulating it as speed between his fingers and giving it the odd twirl. He saw no better us of his time as the training grounds had been barred for the time being. A rather audible groan erupted from Magoichi's stomach. A quick glance at Jia revealed the strategist was still asleep and Magoichi prepared to satiate himself alone.

Having received a brief overview of where the key facilities were from Jia, Magoichi found his way to the dining hall easily enough. Unsurprisingly the hall was filled with soldiers and students alike. A strong fruity smell bombarded his nose and he eagerly went to get a portion. What he was offered was a bowl of hot red liquid and small crusty roll he recognised as a common type of food amongst Western traders. He offered his thanks and prepared to eat his meal standing off to the side before he spotted a familiar woman waving him over.

Not being one to force people to wait on him, Magoichi made his way over. He was greeted by Manuela who shifted over to make space for him. "And here I thought I'd dine alone" Magoichi mused as he took a place by her side. "If I'm around you never have to worry about that" She said while patting his leg briefly. Magoichi did not seem to mind. "I'll be glad to keep that in mind" He responded merrily as he tore his roll into three pieces. He dipped the first piece into his soup, drenching it healthily in it before taking a big bite. His faced scrunched slightly, he was not expecting it to be quite so sweet. His expression prompted a soft laugh from Manuela. "Not a fan of Tomato soup then?" She questioned good-naturedly. "Its fine. Just wasn't expecting that kick." Magoichi responded with a hint of embarrassment. The two exchanged no more words as Magoichi finished the roll and had a healthy amount of soup left. Not thinking twice about it he grabbed the bowl and drank the remaining soup in three solid gulps. Manuela applauded with a few soft claps.

Magoichi place the bowl back on the table and offered a bow as best he could from a seated position to Manuela. "So if I recall you mentioned you're available right?" Magoichi began. "Are your intentions strictly pure?" She could not stop the smile from growing on her face. "Well, not strictly..." He answered vaguely. "I can work with that" She replied with a wink.

Their conversation was barely able to grow as they were approached by a knight of Seiros. "Professor Manuel, Saika Magoichi. You're requested to meet with Lady Rhea immediately" The knight offered while saluting the pair. "Somtimes I feel Sothis herself conspires against me" Manuela said with a sigh before getting to her feet. Magoichi promptly did the same. "Oh I fully intend to resume where we left off, so don't sweat it" Magoichi offered in an attempt at comfort. He gestured for the knight and Manuela to lead the way and dutifully followed them.

He should not have been surprised that they were led to the same room where Jia and himself were introduced to Rhea. The knight offered another short salute and let the pair in front of the door before taking his leave. Magoichi opened the door and held it for Manuela to enter. To Magoichi's surprise, it was not just Rhea and Seteth there this time, he could also make out Hanneman and a rather worn out looking Guo Jia.

Apart from the known faces their were also three more people present. A stouter than average man sporting what Magoichi now knew as armour denoting a knight of Seiros. A strong-looking man who had the air of a veteran. And lastly a girl, who looked to be the same age as many of the students here.

Rhea notice Manuela and Magoichi approaching the group first and gestured to the pair. "And here are the last two members of faculty I wish you to meet" She explained to the already assembled group. "Saika Magoichi at your service" Magoichi volunteered his name with a short two-fingered salute as he approached the group. "Manuela, you already know Alois." Rhea pointed to each of them as she said their names. "This is Jeralt Reus Eisner, he will be returning as acting captain of the knights of Seiros." Magoichi could have sworn she was radiating pure joy as she said those words. "And with him is his daughter Byleth, who I intend to have teach here." She eyed Magoichi carefully as she said this. He looked at Jia who seemed non-fazed by this announcement and nodded his head in acceptance. "Forgive me lady Rhea, but I was under the impression Saika or Jia were to be our third?" Manuela was the one to voice her confusion. "We will simply take a less active role in things." Jia was the one to answer with his usual smile.

The introductions were all too brief as it was late in the day and it would be revealed that Byleth and Jeralt had enough of a skirmish to make them both weary. "Very well, we will hold off on class assignments until tomorrow. All of you get some rest." Seteth commanded, prompting everyone to leave the hall. Jia could hear the faint start of a conversation between Rhea and Seteth as he left.

When the pair reached their room Jia slumped himself straight back into hi bed. Magoichi looked slightly concerned. "Hey, you're looking a little rough" He stated. Jia waved him off. "No doubt travelling via feather does not suit me" Jia joked. Magoichi chose not to pursue it now and retired to his own bed. Come morning the two would find out who exactly they would be responsible for until they return home.

The morning came all too quickly, as there was a loud slow knock upon the pair's door. Jia was the one who reluctantly answered the call and opened the door to be greeted by a knight of Seiros. "Morning sir, Lady Rhea wishes for you and your companion's presence." The man requested formally. Jia picked up his pole and prodded Magoichi with it faintly, this prompted a garbled protest from the man. "Rise and shine Mago" Jia said more merrily than he felt. "Ugh." Was all the verbal response he got was but was accompanied by Magoichi shifting to a sitting position. "We'll be there shortly." jia said with a smile to the knight and closed the door.

Magoichi was standing now and looked rather dishevelled. "Why'd you poke me with the stick" He asked lazily. "If we're to meet students who our to be in our care shortly, we had best look as official a possible. That includes being armed." Jia explained. "That still doesn't explain the poking" Magoichi countered, looking a little confused. "It saved me a few steps" Jia chuckled, noting Magoichi's lack of amusement.

Five minutes later the pair exited their quarters, both looking as if they were about to embark on a march. As they entered the meeting room once more they took a quick note of the people present. Rhea and Seteth were ever-present, joining them were the three teachers. "Master Jia and Master Magoichi. Good morning" Rhea greeted the pair warmly. "Lady Rhea" Jia responded with a formal bow, while Magoichi offered a quick salute from behind him. "Am I right in assuming class assignments have been made?" He asked. Rhea nodded. "Indeed, Byleth has elected to lead the Black Eagle, Manuela the Golden Deer and Hanneman the Blue Lions." She explained for the pair.

Seteth stepped forward. "As for you two, we have decided that you shall each dedicate your time to helping the professors with their classes. Who you choose to assist is up to you" He stated, and waited for the two to respond. Jia was already aware of this decision and suspected who Magoichi would volunteer to assist. "Well if its to be that way, I'll offer my help to the Golden Deer" He did not disappoint Jia with his answer. "I believe with being new to the position Byleth would benefit more than Hanneman with my assistance." Jia offered a small nod of apology in Hanneman's direction. "Acceptable, then if you would be so kind as to join the professors in introducing themselves formally to your houses." Seteth said with a nod, dismissing those present.

Just outside the room Magoicih and Jia spoke briefly. "So, guess we'll go our separate ways for the moment?" Magoichi said casually. "For the moment yes." Jia nodded. "Not missing me already?" He teased, resulting in a scoff from Magoichi. "Just find me if you learn of a way home" He responded before lazily waving a goodbye.

Jia hurried to follow Byleth, who was already well on her way to the Black Eagle's classroom. "Byleth." He started, waiting for an acknowledgement. He got it in the form of her turning her head to look at him. He noticed her eyes looked eerily empty past her dark blue hair. "Ah, I merely wished to tell you of how I intend to help you with teaching." The pair stopped then, Byleth tilting her head in thought. "I will offer assistance in topics relating to troop movements and strategies. Any other topics and I will take a back seat unless you feel a second pair of hands will enhance your teachings." Jia finished explaining. Byleth nodded in compliance and began walking again. Jia followed dutifully 'I hope she is less quiet around the students' He mused to himself.

The pair were on their way to the Black Eagles classroom but were intercepted on route by a woman Jia had not seen before. She had platinum hair and eyes, as well as wearing a striking red cape over her uniform. "I was informed you will be leading the Black Eagles this year professor." She said to Byleth, before her eyes glanced over to Jia. "Oh, excuse me, who is this?" She asked. "Guo Jia, he will be helping me." Byleth responded. Jia was almost surprised he did no need to answer the question for her. The cloaked woman frowned. "Does the church believe we would need so much instruction to require two teachers?" Her voice dripped with disapproval. "A mere odd series of circumstance my lady, nothing more." Jia decided to clear up any misunderstandings. "Fine" She seemed willing to accept that. "I am Edelgard Von Hresvelg, heir to the Adrestian throne" She announced. Jia bowed in response. "Come now professor, an introduction is in order" She spoke once more to Byleth and led her away. Jia followed a few steps away.

They arrived at the Black Eagle classroom shortly after. Jia was content to watch the chaos unfold from a short distance as the majority of their students expressed disbelief at Byleth being their teacher. With his appraising eye, Jia deduced the only two students that maybe difficult would be the pair of Edelgard and Hubert and even then only because they did not see him as anything of worth. Jia idly pondered if it would be worth the effort to prove them wrong. His idle wondering were cut short as he noticed Byleth waving him over. He obliged and walked closer to the group. Dorothea seemed to be the only one pleased to see him, everyone else more or less wore a look of indifference. "Byleth" He bowed to the professor before looking at the group of students. "I am Guo Jia, and while I am here feel free to ask for assistance in your learning" He announced in a sagely manner he remembered one of his own mentors speaking to him in.

Edelgard nodded in what seemed approval. "Guo Jia is to be treated with the same respect as out professor while he is her assistant" She announced. Jia was a little surprised at the order but did his utmost to mask it. His eyes locked with Edelgard's for a moment, they seemed to speak volumes as he felt this courtesy would only be given while she deemed him worth it. "My thanks. I intend to honour Byleth's authority in matters, just so you know" He offered kindly before withdrawing to the front of the class, allowing Byleth to learn more about her students.

His plan was equally to allow the students to learn more about their teacher but one student had other ideas. "I'm glad you decided to join out class" Dorothea offered kindly. "I hope I can continue to make you glad of that." Jia responded with a smile. "Not that I do not appreciate the company, but you should get to know your teacher a little more" He said gesturing to Byleth and the group of students surrounding her. "Oh I'll get to know her, I wanted to get to know you too." She responded. "Anything in particular you want to know?" He responded with a chuckle, earning him a mock slap on the wrist. "How about why join the Black Eagles?" She pondered. "I was more motivated to help the novice teacher" He pointed at Byleth. "And If I'm being honest, working with a young woman beats working with an old man. That stays between us." He put a finger to his lips. Dorothea for her part tried not to laugh and the two continued to converse for a time.

Meanwhile Magoichi was being introduced to the Golden Deer by Manuela. "Any questions for Magoichi or myself?" She asked. "Yeah, so what can you do Magoichi?" A tanned boy with spiky hair asked, a yellow cloak draped over his shoulders. "Leadership, Marksmanship, all-round great guy." Magoichi responded with a cocksure grin. An orange haired tomboy piped up. "Marksmanship? Care to show us?" She openly challenged. "Soon as the training grounds are opened up I'd be glad to." He responded, a hand caressing the handle of his gun. "As worthwhile as that is, should we not begin discussing the mock battle coming up?" The noble Lorenz piped up. Magoichi looked a little confused before Manuela chimed in. "Ah yes, its main purpose is to test students abilities but it does not mean we can not prepare." She offered as she fetched a piece of paper from the desk. Upon it was a crudely drawn map which she began to copy onto a blackboard. She pointed at a portion of the map behind what Magoichi assumed was meant to be a forest. "Here is where we have been assigned to set up. Now bare in mind only four of you will competing, as well as me your teacher." She explained.

The tanned boy from before stepped up and asked for volunteers. It came as no shock to Magocihi that every hand shot up. The boy pointed to three individuals and called their names. "Lorenz, Hilda, Ignatz. You're gonna help us shine." He said with enthusiasm. "What's the plan Claude?" Hilda asked, still as perky as before. "Well, we've got some forest for cover. An ambush would be our best bet." He explained. Pointing to the roughly drawn forest. "Ignatz and Lorenz can probe 'em while Hilda and I wait to ambush them when they're all tired out and head for Manuela." He smiled proudly and looked at Manuela. "What do ya think teach?" He asked. Before she had a chance to answer however, Magoichi interjected. "Not bad kid, but if Jia is advising the Black Eagles in any way, he'll see right through it." He explained. Claude looked dejected. "How do you figure?" He objected. "Because, He's been doing this a little longer than you kid." Magoichi sighed. "Actually I wouldn't be surprised if anyone who's fought a real battle would see right through this." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Do you have a better plan than?" Claude asked, moving onwards. "No, I'd do the same thing and likely lose as well" Magoichi offered with a chuckle.

Claude looked at the man in surprise. "Then why try to dissuade me?" He asked. "Aren't teachers meant to challenge their students? I feel like that's what I'm meant to do." He offered in a light-hearted response. "As valid as Magoichi's point is, we should go with your plan Claude." Manuela chimed in encouragement. Claude nodded and the Golden Deer selected for the battle began to crowd around the board and go into more details.

A brain wave hit Magoichi and he took the original map Manuela produced and brought it over to the remaining students, who were currently doing little. "Well then, let's not let them do all the work." He announced pointing at the orange-haired tomboy. "You'll make a plan yourself and lets see if it would do better than Claude's." He said with a grin. "If I can verify that it would, I guarantee a reward." He added an incentive, although none seemed necessary. A short girl with long white hair was already studying the map, a giant of a man looking over her shoulder to like-wise look at it.

'If they're this motivated I might just be able to make something out of them' He idly thought as he watched his own small group plan positioning and tactics of their own.


	3. Rivalry of the Houses

The following day, the pair of Guo Jia and Saika Magoichi found themselves in Hanneman's office. They were summoned there for an unknown reason and found out why it was kept so hidden. They were receiving a lecture. "...The nature of which is beyond mortal understanding. For Now." The aged professor finished his explanation of crests. "Fascinating as it is to receive such knowledge, why do you feel the need to inform us so..." Magoichi started, stumbling to find the right word. "Methodically?" Jia queried. "Lady Rhea informed me that the pair of you were foreign to the ways of Fódlan. I merely wished to help you integrate yourselves into how Fódlan works as a whole." Hanneman offered in response. "And I would not object if you would respond to my kindness by allowing me to examine you both for crests of your own?" He asked hopefully.

Jia chuckled darkly. "And how would you do that may I ask?" He queried once more, not to keen on the idea of being probed. "It is quite simple, you will hold your arm over this device" Hanneman gestured to the device, taking up the centre of his office. "Let's just get it over with Jia" Magoichi offered, placing his arm over the aforementioned device. "Alright, but I'm afraid you will find nothing of interest Professor." Jia warned as he waited to have his own arm tested. A few seconds passed and nothing flagged on the crest analyser. Hanneman waved Magoichi off the device and Jia promptly held his arm out in a similar fashion. They waited like that for a beat longer than Magoichi, but the device likewise failed to flag anything.

Hanneman looked rather dejected. "Pity, well it is best to be sure of these things" He offered to the pair. "I suppose that's true." Jia bowed his head before turning to leave. Magoichi joined him after a brief wave to the Professor in farewell.

The pair walked down the hall before Jia turned towards their quarters. "Turning in already?" Magoichi joked. "I am feeling a little light-headed. I'll join Byleth for her afternoon class." Jia responded waving Magoichi away. "Huh, alright then." Magoichi responded, heading in the opposite direction.

Magoichi did not get too far as the orange haired tomboy from his class stood before him expectantly. It took a moment for her name to materialise in his memory. "Leonie?" He asked and she nodded in response. "Magoichi sir, Ignatz and Claude have set up some targets just outside the walls to get some last-minute practice in. I thought you could show us your own marksmanship?" She questioned, with enthusiasm. "Alright" He answered simply and gestured for Leonie to lead him to the targets.

True to her word the pair needed to exit the main gate in order to reach the pair of budding archers. Magoichi's eye spotted the targets in use and was surprised to see the majority of arrows that landed pierced the centres. "Hey teach!" Claude called, before tossing a bow towards Magoichi. He caught it easily enough and looked at it amused. "I am quite eager to see you shoot Professor" Ignatz chimed in. "Sure thing kids." Magoichi said with confidence. He placed the bow gently on the ground before unholstering his rifle. "Might wanna cover your ears." He warned as he took a steady aiming pose. 'No need to get flashy here' He thought idly to himself as he narrowed his vision on his target. A sharp crack pierced the air and a healthy amount of smoke streamed from the tip of his gun, causing shock to appear upon the three student's faces.

A quick look at the target showed arrow shafts splintered in the centre of the target as well as a small hole. Magoichi looked rather pleased with himself as he turned his gaze to the students. They appeared to take his warning seriously as they began to remove their hands from their ears. "The heck was that? Magic?" Claude was the first to ask. "Nah, that is why people pay me to be on their side" Magoichi joked before walking towards the target to inspect his shot. He let out a soft whistle as he confirmed its lethal accuracy.

He was quickly flanked by the two archers who likewise examined the target. "T-that seems a tad more damaging than our bows" Ignatz stated. "Sure, we should get Lysithea down here and see how her magic compares" Claude nodded his response, naturally curious as to how this weaponry compared to magic. Leonie seemed about ready to sprint off to find the young mage however, two knights of Seiros were rushing towards the group. "Are you alright?" The first to reach them asked, panic evident in his tone. Magoichi rubbed his head sheepishly. "Ah, did the noise reach your post? That was just me." He explained, though tried desperately to avoid eye contact.

The trio of students and teacher found themselves standing in front of the intimidating eyes of Lady Rhea and Seteth. "So, if I understand you correctly. You used your weapon in the open and with no one else's knowledge startling the two guards outside the gates?" Seteth recapped to the group. Magoichi nodded in response, repressing the urge to smirk. Seteth massaged his temples and Rhea took the reigns. "Claude, you may take your classmates back now" She told him with a smile and waited for the trio to leave before fixing a more stern look at Magoichi. "In hindsight I acknowledge that may have been a poor idea." He explained, holding his hands up in surrender. Rhea sighed. "Consider this a warning Saika Magoichi, another lapse in judgement and you will be punished." Seteth provided the warning, though it was easy to tell Rhea supported it. "Reasonable." Magoichi said before bowing a farewell.

The afternoon came and Magoichi was dutifully sat, observing Manuela's lesson. She was explaining to the students the difference between medicine and healing magic and to his surprise she kept everyone's focus, even the muscle-head Raphael was absorbing her lesson.

In the Black Eagle's classroom, Guo Jia entered late to the lesson. All eyes turned to him as he entered and Jia offered a quick bow. "Apologies" He said in general before taking a seat by the blackboard. He noted it was adorned by a map. Byleth did not acknowledge the intrusion and continued with her teachings. "We are to deploy here, the deer here and Lion here." She pointed to each different area as she mentioned the classes. "How would you like to proceed?" She asked the class, though Jia suspected the question was mainly aimed at Edelgard.

"If we overwhelm the centre we can then charge the Blue Lions head on, mopping up the Golden Deer after the greater threat is dealt with" Edelgard was quick to offer. "If the Deer see you rushing the Lion, do you believe they would not relish the opportunity to catch you in a pincer?" Jia countered, even Byleth seemed surprised he would offer a challenge to the future Empress's plan. "I do not think Claude would lead his class head first into Dmitri's, they would be overpowered." Edelgard explained, a smug smile gracing her features. "By your own reasoning the Eagles would overpower them just as easily, it would be up to the Deer to decide who wins then. The Lion or Eagle." Jia shrugged. "Seems like such a plan leaves too much to the enemy." Jia finished.

Edelgard stared at Jia for a long moment before letting out a soft huff. "Then what would you suggest?" She asked sternly. "I do not know Dmitri or Claude terribly well." Jia started as he raised from his seat. "However Claude has been described as somewhat of a tactician, my bet would be he hides the bulk of his forces in the woods for an ambush." He pointed to the likely site of said ambush. "Easiest way to prevent that would be to burn them out and circle around the left flank, avoiding the lions atte-" Jia was cut off by a voice near the front. "With all due respect we can not do that sir!" Ferdinand objected. "Why not?" Jia asked raising an eyebrow. "Firstly we do not actually wish to do serious harm to our fellow students" Ferdinand explained. "Oh? Are Hubert and Dorothea not allowed to use their magic then? I see no difference between the two actions" Jia waved off the point. "Then simply put it is dishonourable." Ferdinand said adamantly. "It is dishonourable to minimise your forces losses? It may not apply in a mock battle yes but honour is worth little compared to your men's lives." Jia shook his head in disapproval. "Anything else?" He asked.

Ferdinand did not speak up and Jia took that as a sign to go on. "As I was explaining, burn the woods and flank to the left, dealing with the Deer that flee the wood before tackling the lions." Jia stroked his chin for a moment. "To deal with the lions I would suggest luring them out one by one. If conditions are favourable you may even be able to use the burning forest as cover." Jia offered with a grin. "I shall consider your plan, Guo Jia" She answered. 'Very believable' Jia mused to himself as he sat himself back down.

As soon as Jia was seated Byleth spoke. "Edelgard, have you decided who will join us in the battle?" She asked. "Dorothea, Hubert and Ferdinand" She answered swiftly, glancing at Jia. "Unless you have a better line-up?" She asked pointedly. Jia shook his head, his plan could have been used by any combination of Black Eagle members. Byleth moved on from the plan of attack to tutoring students one on one in specific skills. Jia would have done the same, however he felt he'd stepped on one to many toes today and opted to observe.

The afternoon lessons went by with little incident from then on and Jia left the class as soon as they were over. No one stopped him as he went to the Golden Deer class, where he would wait for Magoichi. The students emptied out and while he got a few curious looks, he did not spy Magoichi. After a moment, when he was sure the students had vacated the room.

When he entered he was greeted with the sight of Magoichi and Manuela in conversation with each other. Jia had some respect and leant on the wall to the side of the entrance and waited for a gap in their conversation. He did not have to wait long as Manuela spotted him and waved him over.

Magoichi wrapped a friendly arm around Jia's shoulders. "Jia, just in time. Manuela was just telling me about the local town" Magoichi smiled. "It was just the local tavern the faculty and some of the older students visit that took his interest" She said with a wink, causing Jia to chuckle. "Of course it was, am I to take it we are visiting then?" He asked. "Of course! Best to do so before anyone has bragging rights" Magoichi announced. "I'll be glad to take you, I don't doubt some of the knights are already indulging." Manuela offered, lacing her arm around Magoichi's own. Jia took the hint and removed Magoichi's arm from his shoulder. "Then do lead on Manuela" He said kindly and walked alongside the pair.

It did not take long for the three teachers to reach the nearby town and Manuela led them straight to the tavern. A quick glance around the room revealed a few familiar faces to Jia, he saw the captain of the knights sitting with Alois the pair deep in their cups. No one else was known to him and he saw no students, though he suspected that would change as the afternoon changed to evening. Magoichi and Manuela broke off from him and sat at a table in the corner, Jia left them be and approached the two knights he knew of. "Ah Captain, your daughter's assistant is here" Alois spoke jovially and Jia found it hard to dislike the man.

The knight captain pushed an extra stool in Jia's direction, prompting him to sit. Jia obliged and sat beside the two men. Jia was handed a large glass of yellow liquid, it was unfamiliar to him though when he sniffed it he easily identified it as some form of alcohol. "My thanks" Jia offered politely as he took a sip. The liquid was much more bitter than he was used to, though he powered through to not show as such on his face. He must have failed as Jeralt let out a low chuckle. "Used to smoother stuff?" He asked with surprising kindness as Jia placed the beverage down. "The drinks back home are certainly sweeter" Jia responded with a chuckle, noticeably not reaching for the drink again. "Wine then" Jeralt said straight to the point and flagging for a glass for Jia.

An oddly proportioned glass was placed in front of Jia and filled halfway with an almost see through liquid. Jia lifted the glass and raised it in recognition of the gesture towards Jeralt before taking a quick sip. The drink this time was surprisingly sweet, almost a polar opposite to what he drunk before. "Much better captain" He said with a smile, before taking another sip. "Jeralt will do, only the knights need call me captain" Jeralt said idly, waving off the title. "So, may I ask how Byleth is doing? With teaching I mean." He asked, once more to the point. Jia had to respect that at least. "Its only been a day but she seems to take to it well." Jia answered honestly. "Perhaps attending the mock battle will show you more than I can tell." Jia suggested idly swishing his wine around.

A loud slap rang throughout the tavern and took Jia by surprise. "See, I told you to attend" Alois said, his hand planted firmly on Jeralt's back. Jia silently admired Jeralt's tolerance for pain, as Alois was still garbed in armour and Jeralt did not flinch even slightly. "Guess you were right" Jeralt nodded, a new beer was placed in front of him. Anything that Jia would have said was stolen from him as Jeralt grabbed his glass and promptly drank it in a a single motion. "Jeralt has quite the reputation for a reason you know" Alois joked at Jia's expense, even Jeralt looked amused.

The three spoke for some time, Jeralt about his mercenary group, Alois about the knights of Seiros and in exchange Jia told tale of his lord and companions, although he kept names out of the equation.

The afternoon had faded gently into evening and when Jia looked around the tavern had filled with new faces. He recognised a few students, most noticeably Dorothea, who was chatting merrily to a couple of knights. He also noticed Ferdinand sharing tea with a purple haired student in the corner. 'Wasn't that where Manuela and Magoichi were?' He wondered briefly before Jeralt's voice pierced his thoughts. "I'll be leading new recruits through some drills tomorrow so I'll be going" He explained. "Join us again sometime" Alois chimed in, before waving goodbye. Jia nodded in farewell also.

Jia finished his wine and after a quick glance around to confirm Magoichi was indeed gone decided to leave himself.

Back at Garreg Mach, Magoichi was standing in shock at Manuela's door. The room was in a state worse than an army on the marches camp. The discarded clothes he could easily ignore but piles of used dishes were a bit far for him. Was that pile of rags moving? "Come on in Mago" Manuela drawled, attempting to pull him into the room. Magoichi did not budge however. "Uh, perhaps we should get to know one another better before spending the night?" He offered weakly, prompting a frown to quickly frown on Manuela's face. "Promise" He hastily added before risking a quick peck on her cheek. Manuela let go of Magoichi and he took a step back. "Now get some sleep" He said with a light wave and left her for the night.

A few days later and Jia and Magoichi found themselves joining the knights of Seiros on their march to the mock battle. The students and participating teachers had gone on ahead and were likely setting up as the pair travelled. "You never did tell me why I found you back in our quarters that night" Jia mused, both out of boredom and curiosity. "The kids are about to beat each other senseless and that's what's gnawing at you?" Magoichi fired back prompting a soft laugh from Jia. "If what people here claim is true there's no risk there. Where as it's not every day Saika Magoichi opts to not bed a willing woman." Jia stated. "Or did I misjudge her willingness?" He asked raising a brow. "Visit her room sometime. It'll speak a thousand words" Magoichi responded, seeming to end the matter. Jia started to plot just how exactly he'd be able to gain access to her room without giving the woman the wrong idea.

The march ended when the group found themselves at a clearing that would serve as the battlefield. All three houses looked prepared, seeming only to wait for Jeralt to initiate the affair. With a raise of his arm, the students about to do battle morphed from kids to soldiers.

The Black Eagles were the first to move, rushing the centre of the battlefield. Stationed there were Lorenz and Ignatz, outnumbered horribly. Jia could not make out the words but the young noble seemed to be shouting encouragement to his comrade.

It was not enough, as both limped from the battlefield, where they both immediately received aid. "Now our numbers make sense" Magoichi said before jogging to meet with the defeated students. Jia continued to observe, as an archer representing the Blue Lions appeared to scout the centre. Jia could not tell the reasoning behind such a move and that only doubled when the boy was likewise overwhelmed.

Jia was not surprised when the group of Black Eagles began a charge towards the Blue Lions, he was however a tad disappointed. As predicted the Golden Deer gave up on their ambush plan and quickly rushed to pincer the Eagles. The combined magical might of Hubert and Dorothea lagged to deal with the deer, while the more physical members of the house continued their charge. Jia winced as Dorothea took an arrow to the thigh courtesy of Claude. The shock forced her to take a knee. Jia feared that was her done for when Hilda came rushing in to finish the fight. The blow never came as Hubert fired off a dark sphere at the charging axe-woman, stopping her in her tracks.

Dorothea offered what she could in the way of area denial as Hubert and Claude dodged each others blows, neither making enough contact to stop the other. A sudden splintering sound could be heard, which snapped Jia's attention to the other battle raging on. He saw Ferdinand holding two halves of what was his spear in disbelief before a blow from Dmitri knocked him out cleanly. Byleth and Edelgard rushed Dmitri in response, the other members of the Blue Lions seemingly dealt with, at least Jia could not spot them.

To his credit Dmitri held his own magnificently. It was unfortunate that he had to focus on defending else he likely would have overpowered them in the same vein as Ferdinand. It was Byleth that dealt the blow that brought Dmitri to his knees, catching him directly on the temple with her wooden blade. Up until now Hanneman had neglected to move, and he seemed content to remain so prompting the two Eagles to back track and assist Hubert. Claude spotted the arriving assistance and the momentary lapse in concentration cause him to be hit by Hubert's sphere of darkness. "I yield!" Claude coughed out, dropping his bow to the ground. The remaining Eagles united and quickly mopped up Hanneman and Manuela with little fuss, Jia had the feeling the two held back.

"All right, that's that! The winner of this mock battle is... The Black Eagle House!" Jeralt declared to the group, prompting cheers from the Eagles.

The assembled students and knights stayed in the clearing for a time, waiting for everyone's wounds to heal. Jia had to admit that the healing arts of this land were unfathomable. Most notably he saw Dorothea walking around again as if she had not just recently had an arrow embedded in her leg. Jia mentally told himself to learn more later. "See, we had no need of tricks Jia" Edelgard announced proudly as she approached the idle Guo Jia. "It would seem so" Jia replied in a friendly tone. "Although had this been real, I dare say young Ferdinand would no longer be with us" Jia shook his head, opting to not think on that too hard. Edelgard frowned at that. "In battle sacrifices are expected." She stated flatly. "Then I fear you've been taught wrong" Jia countered dryly. "Easily remedied... If you'll allow me?" He asked, trying to give her the control. "We shall see" She responded flatly and left him to his thoughts.

It was then that Magoichi joined Jia with a grin. "All of 'em are right as rain. The magic here's kinda crazy." Magoichi noted. "Yes, I wonder why it is our Mystic friends never displayed such abilities" Jia mused, scratching his chin. "Mystic friends? An odd turn of phrase professor." A sinister voice chimed in, causing Magoichi to flinch. Jia just chuckled softly. "I was wondering when you'd speak up Hubert." Jia offered, seemingly aware of the boy's presence the entire time. "Avoiding my question." Hubert stated prompting Jia to laugh heartily. "Our land's term for mages is all" Jia explained kindly. Annoyingly Hubert's face gave no signs of believe or otherwise, though he did not openly deny the explanation. "Very well." He said with a quick nod. "I wished only to ask you stick to your attempts in educating Lady Edelgard" He stated. "Gladly" Jia said with a soft bow. "That was... Easier than I anticipated. My thanks." Hubert responded before preparing to leave. "So, there a reason tall and creepy needed to ask that?" Magoichi asked Jia. "Edelgard has ignored my tactical advise thus far, I assume Hubert feared I may have been disheartened at that." Jia took a breath. "I however, can think of no better task than winning over beautiful girls with my genius." He raised a brow at Magoichi. "Not too big headed I hope?" He asked jokingly. "I've seen you outmanoeuvre even the Sleeping Dragon at times, not many can claim that" Magoichi waved off Jia's boast.

The sound of a horn being blown broke all conversation in the clearing, indicating it was time to move. The journey back to Garreg Mach was uneventful and found students and knights alike in good cheer when they returned.

Jia approached the Black Eagles, currently crowded around Byleth in the main hall. "...Our victory to Lady Edelgard." He caught the tail end of what Hubert was saying. "How so? For that battle, she was only a soldier following our professor's command. Sure, she was an incredibly powerful soldier..." The ever drowsy Linhardt countered Hubert's point. The shortest member of the Black Eagles began to talk, but Jia paid it little mind. Losing himself in thought. 'Byleth gave the orders in that battle? Perhaps Edelgard did take my points to heart then.' Jia thought, looking at the mercenary come teacher. 'Was it to show Edelgard her plan was flawed? Or did she too subscribe to Ferdinand's thoughts on honour in battle?' He continued to think, concluding the only real way to find out would be to ask her.

Jia's thoughts were interrupted by Dorothea stealing his focus. "Jia, will you be joining us for the feast?" She asked him sweetly. "Would not miss it. How's the leg?" He asked in return, concern lacing his voice. "Oh, its fine. Manuela can work wonders you know" She smiled sweetly. Jia did not look convinced, and with surprising swiftness moved his arm to poke the offending limb. A light whimper left Dorothea as a result. "Apparently not a miracle worker though" Jia said disapprovingly. Dorothea responded with a pout. "Inappropriate professor." She stated bluntly. "Noted, consider it a lesson in lying to me" He said with a wink before offering his arm. "Now I believe it is only right I offer to escort you, considering the injury." Dorothea did not answer, and simply hooked her arm with his and the pair walked toward the dining hall.

Meanwhile, the Golden Deer had retired to their classroom, joined by both their teachers. "Not gonna lie teach, could have done better." Claude announced in defeat. "I quite agree, I felt my own performance was quite lacking." Lorenz was quick to agree. Magoichi waved off the pair's pessimism. "You're quick to think this was a straight up competition, far from it. This was to determine what we can do to make ourselves better." Magoichi explained, Manuela vigorously nodding her head in agreement. "Quite, it is great to win but as long as we take steps to improve this is not a failure" She chimed in quite merrily. "And once I have the battle report I'll be sure to compare it to your plans, Lysithea." Magoichi said pre-emptively, as he could spy the young girl practically buzzing with the need to ask. The Young Mage seemed content with that.

Before Manuela had the chance to continue voicing her thoughts, a thundering rumble pierced the class. All eyes turned to Raphael who wore an embarrassed smile. "Ugh, sorry. Gettin' hungry" He said weakly prompting eye-rolls from the students. "We may not have won, but there is still a feast" Claude mentioned and looked to the two teachers for permission to leave. "Yes yes, by all means" Manuela said, shooing the class away mockingly. Magoichi was going to join them but his hand was grabbed by Manuela. "So... When are we going to get to know each other?" She purred and Magoichi found it difficult to form the right words. "Another meal together is a start" He offered, quite lamely for him. She must have thought so too as it earned him a pout. The two teachers left shortly after their students.

The dining hall was filled with the smells of cooking meats and sounds of revelry. Magoichi was surprised to see ale flowing freely amongst the students, admittedly most were of age but some were questionable. Regardless it was not his place to judge. Manuela must have felt the same as instead of putting a stop to things she grabbed a mug of ale for herself and began to drink it with haste. "People certainly do not exaggerate your drinking habits." A familiar voice rang out and Magoichi turned to spot the familiar sight of a grinning Guo Jia. Manuela only grinned back after finishing her drink. "And who has been spreading these rumours Jia dear?" She asked sweetly. Jia only shook his head, he was not going to have easy access to rumours if he spilled the source. "Tease" Manuela said, with a playful jab of her finger.

Magoichi took a step away from the pair. "Come to think of it, you two haven't gotten to know each other right?" He asked, not waiting for a reply. "Now is the perfect time." He announced with a grin, and wandered off in the general direction of the kitchens. Jia raised a brow in curiosity as he watched his friend walk away. 'What is this game Mago?' He thought idly, before being snapped out of it by Manuela's voice. "Well, that was rude." She stated, clearly not happy. "A little, but he has a point no? I've not had much of a chance to speak with you." He responded, trying to rationalise Magoichi's actions. All he got in return was a sigh before Manuela refreshed her mug. "It really is astounding how fast you drink that." Jia complimented, and it at least got a light smile from the woman. "Well, I can do worse for company..." She mused and gestured for Jia to follow as she found a place to sit. Jia willingly obliged and joined her for an evening of drink and merriment.

While Jia was getting better acquainted with Manuela, Magoichi was entering the kitchens. His keen eyes did not fault him and there he saw the golden-cloaked leader of his class skulking in the kitchens. "Ya know, trying to sneak around while wearing that is a poor idea." Magoichi announced, wanting to give the boy a fright. His words had the desired effect as Claude visibly jumped at the sound of his voice. "T-teach? What're you doing back here?" He asked sheepishly. "I saw someone skulking around, wanna explain why?" He asked bluntly. "Just a little prank, nothing serious" Claude answered hesitantly. Magoichi walked over to Claude and looked around the general area. "Alright I give up. What was it?" He asked after a moment. Claude produced a small pouch and offered it to him. Magoichi took it, it weighed almost nothing. He raised a questioning brow at Claude. "Its a little powder I made, I was going to sprinkle it onto some of the deserts." Claude was quick to raise his hands in surrender. "It only would have made the sweets taste super sour, so harmless." He explained. Magoichi rolled his eyes. "Don't mess with your allies' food. Now leave." He said to the point, waiting for the boy to leave.

Claude did not think twice and promptly left via the kitchen's back exit. 'Gotta admit, kid's devious.' Magoichi thought with a smirk before pocketing the powder. He grabbed a pastry from the table and happily bit into it as he left shortly after Claude through the alternate exit with the intention of retiring for the night.

It was gone midnight and the pathways in Garreg Mach were only traversable due to the burning torches lighting the way. Guo Jia found himself helping another walk that night, in the form of Manuela leaning heavily on his shoulder. Any one could see she was three sheets to the wind as even with Jia's assistance she was unsteady on her feet. "This one" Manuela said softly as the pair approached a door. Jia was surprised it opened when he tried, but guided Manuela in none the less. The floor was difficult even for him in his sober state to navigate, he managed to succeed with Manuela in tow. He gently lowered the drunken songstress to her bed. "Take care now Manuela." He whispered in a caring tone before turning to leave. "Don't want to stay?" She hummed in protest even in her drunken state.

Jia thought for a moment before shaking his head, attempting to have a conversation now would likely achieve nothing. "Talk to me when you're sober Manuela." He said in the same hushed manner, before committing to leaving the room. After gently closing the door behind him, Jia took a moment to ponder.'The room does not seem to be so bad as to ward of Magoichi, granted it was fairly dark' He mused to himself, trying to decipher what Magoichi could have meant earlier. "Another visit is in order." He mumbled to himself as he set off back to his own quarters.

Jia had to take a specific route back to his quarters, as he had to follow the lights the patrol-men had deemed worthy of lighting. Annoyingly it seemed to take him past the students quarters and classrooms, not optimal in any way. Jia mentally noted that when he had the place better mapped he would have to cut a more direct path. Once he had made it back to his room, he found Magoichi already peacefully asleep and opted to likewise enter the land of dreams.

The next morning, Guo Jia found himself in the Audience chamber with Byleth. The pair were being addressed by a beaming Rhea and stern looking Seteth. "Your work with the students was remarkable. I can see Jeralt trained you well. I do hope you were able to use the occasion to bond with the students." Rhea said to Byleth. "I did" She responded in the neutral manner Jia was accustomed to by now. "I am so happy to hear it. Nothing would please me more than if you would use this coming year to grow closer still." Rhea responded earnestly. "Of course, the mock battle was mere practice. The real fight is the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, which will take place during the Wyvern Moon. You are expected to properly train your students so as not to humiliate the academy during the long-held tradition that is the coming battle." Seteth chimed in. Jia took a mental note of the date, though honestly he believed he would be long gone from this realm by then. Byleth merely nodded in response.

"As for today, I have called you here to tell you of your mission for the month ahead. Your class is to dispose of some bandits causing trouble nearby." Rhea began to explain, causing a quizzical expression to appear on Byleth's face. "My mission?" She asked simply. "Those affiliated with Garreg Mach Monastery have a moral obligation to help those in need, regardless of social standing. Students are no exception. Each month, before the newly birthed moon departs, each house of students must complete their assigned mission. You shall work to complete the task at hand alongside your students and report back to the archbishop before the deadline. Understood? I will soon provide you with the necessary details for your first mission. If I told you now, I expect you would only forget, and I despise repeating myself." Seteth explained, direct to the point. 'Bandits should not be too difficult for students' Jia thought to himself as he rubbed his chin. 'Though there are easier ways to deal with bandits than eradication...' Jia was absorbed in this thought as Rhea spoke her parting words. "I can sense something special within your heart... I have high hopes for you." She offered kindly before leaving with Seteth in tow.

Jia bowed to the retreating forms of Rhea and Seteth as he was snapped from his thoughts. "...To hear my voice should not come as a shock." An unfamiliar voice spoke. Jia turned back to Byleth and raised a brow. "Did you say something Byleth?" He asked honestly. He only received a shake of her head in response. "Ah, well. I'll trust you to inform the students, I think I need a rest." Jia announced. Leaving Byleth alone in the room.

When Jia returned to his quarters, Magoichi was still there sat upon his bed and playing with a bullet. "How'd it go?" He asked idly. "Well enough, as it turns out we were being informed that a monthly mission must be undertaken by the students." Jia explained, prompting Magoichi to raise a brow. "Expert bandit hunters, a bunch of kids, an ex-mercenary and a strategist with few rivals." Jia said with a chuckle. Magoichi's response caught in his throat as a knight of Seiros arrived at their open door. "Saika Magoichi, your attendance is requested in the Audience Chambers." He stated. Magoichi got to his feet and shouldered his rifle. "Yeah alright." He answered, gesturing for the knight to lead the way.

The pair's month had just gotten significantly more busy.


	4. A true battle

It had been a few days since Jia and Magoichi had been informed of their class's monthly responsibilities, alongside the information that this would usually occur at the end of a month. With no immediate responsibilities the pair found themselves sat by the edge of Garreg Mach's pond fishing with one another. Flayn watched the pair from slightly off to the side, intent on not disturbing them. A quick pull of Magoichi's rod indicated he had gotten yet another bite and he quickly reeled in a small fish, adding it to his bucket. "That makes six Jia." Magoichi lightly teased, looking at the lone fish in his friend's bucket. "Succulent fish are my goal Mago." Jia responded merrily, keeping his eyes locked on his float.

A few minutes of easy silence passed between the two, before Jia's brow furrowed. "Mago, I've been meaning to ask." Jia started, averting his gaze from the fishing to look at his friend. "What do you intend to do with Manuela?" Jia asked bluntly. Magoichi appeared to not react, but Jia knew that meant this topic was likely not one he wished to discuss. Jia sighed. "I guess it worse than I theorised." Jia thought aloud. "You need to either bed her or leave her Mago, continuing whatever this dance is benefits no one." Jia scolded, returning his focus back to fishing. "Why is it such a concern to you all of a sudden?" Magoichi asked more than a little embarrassed. "We're not going to be here forever Mago, I'd rather what ifs were avoided." Jia responded softly.

The sound of Flayn clearing her throat interrupted the pair. "Why are you so sure of that? Lady Rhea would more than welcome you both to stay." Flayn queried. "Its rather rude to eavesdrop." Jia responded with a chuckle, inwardly admonishing himself for allowing Flayn to hear their conversations. The girl could be quite quiet when she wished it. "Rhea's hospitality is not in question, we merely know we will be summoned back home eventually and that summons must be answered." Jia explained, glad that he did not have to comment on Magoichi and Manuela's relationship.

All of a sudden Magoichi got to his feet and handed his rod to Flayn. "Right, don't visit out quarters until after dinner." Magoichi warned and left without further explanation. Jia was about to retort but Flayn spoke up. "It has been some time since I fished." She said simply, taking a seat next to Jia. Picking up from where Magoichi left off. "I use it mainly to relax, treat it the same and how good you are stops mattering." Jia offered sagely, easily blotting the thought of Magoichi from his mind. A sharp movement from Flayn indicated that she just got a bite and easily reeled in a fish. "Seems you had no reason to worry." Jia praised, the two of them continuing to fish the afternoon away.

Evening had arrived and Jia parted ways with Flayn. He made his way to his quarters. He almost walked straight in, but recalling their last conversation cautiously knocked on the door. No response. Taking it as a sign everything was clear, Jia opened the door slowly. A quick inspection revealed no one to be in the room. Even more odd to Jia was the fact Magoichi's bed seemed untouched. 'May have left the poor girl instead' Jia mused, feeling a tinge of pity for Manuela. With naught else to be done, Jia settled for another early night and fell peacefully to sleep.

There were no tasks for Jia to perform the next day, so it was with some shock that he was awoken by a loud knocking on his door. A just woken Jia opened the door to be greeted with an Irritated looking Seteth. "Yes?" Jia questioned with a yawn. "Saika and Manuela are in no position to teach the Golden Deer this morning. The knights are too busy tracking down a certain band of bandits, as such I request you take over this role for the day." Seteth stated. "Mago's unwell? No never mind, I'll be there as soon as I look less worn out." Jia accepted, closing the door when Seteth seemed to accept that.

Not ten minutes later and Jia managed to make himself look as prim and proper as he normally did. One would be hard pressed to know he had not long been awake. When Jia got to the Golden Deer class he was surprised that apart from Hilda and Claude, the class was all seated and seemed eager to learn. "I'll be teaching you for today." Jia announced as he made his way to the front of the class, earning curious glances from all. "Where's Professor Manuela and Magoichi?" Hilda asked with a hint of concern. "Indisposed, what is it you were hoping to learn today?" Jia asked, scanning the class to make sure everyone was paying attention. "We have no formal plan, why not teach us something you're skilled in?" Claude offered in response.

Jia took a moment to think before speaking. "Very well, let us start simply." Jia began, writing to simple words on top of the blackboard. Strategy. Tactics. "Who knows the difference?" Jia asked, anticipating a quick response. "Aren't they the same?" Raphael asked back, earning a shake from Jia's head. "Strategy is one's long-term plan and steps to achieve it, while tactics are more immediate and short-sighted. It is not impossible for people to be skilled in both and thus nothing to be ashamed about not immediately knowing the difference." Jia explained. Lysithea and Claude appeared to understand immediately but the rest of the class wore blank expressions. "A tactician fights the battle, while a strategist fights the war. That is how my teacher liked to simplify it." Jia said fondness, though it seemed to do little to help the more martial oriented students.

While Jia did not like to give up on passing on information, he saw little point in driving it into those who were not inclined. "I suppose as long as you listen to your tactician there's no need for all of you to be a master of the art." Jia concluded, turning his gaze from the group to rummage for a map in the drawers. He knew the Black Eagles had access to one and assumed the other classes would too. He was in luck as he pulled out a map of Fódlan. He took his time to mount it temporarily on the blackboard. "A hypothetical for you. Claude, you're to lead the Alliance in the future if I recall. War has broken out between the three nations. What is your first move?" Jia challenged, Claude being caught off guard. "Why has it happened?" He quickly asked. "War can break out for many reasons, not always logical. Let us say in this example that the Empire wishes to reclaim its old territories." Jia explained, taking a pencil and drawing a new border between the Empire and the Kingdom. "The Empire has already invaded Kingdom lands." Jia announced, attempting to put pressure on the young lord.

It took Claude only a beat before offering his first move. "With the Empire engaged with the Kingdom, I would muster a force to secure the Great Bridge of Myrddin." Claude announced. "The bridge is secured, what next?" Jia encouraged the young lord to continue. "From there we will launch raids and scouting parties to find out the strength of the local Empire garrisons, if conditions are favourable, we'll take the ones we can." Claude explained. A few scribbles and the border between the Alliance and Empire shifted in the Alliance's favour. "If that's how much ground we could take, we march on the capital in full force." Claude announced, striking a pose. "Weeks of hard fighting ensue locking you in place, taking a capital city is never an easy feat. In that time you receive a message. The Kingdom capital has fallen." Jia explained, erasing the previous shift in border between the Kingdom and Empire. Claude looked down, in defeat or though Jia couldn't quite tell. "I'd order a retreat back the Great Bridge." Claude said in defeat. "I'm going to stop this here." Jia said with some finality. "Of course I stacked the deck against you heavily, throwing the worst possible case at you, so do not take it to heart." Jia consoled the young lord and rolled away the map.

A quick glance over the class showed that everyone was enthralled by Claude's attempts at beating a purposefully unbeatable scenario. "Now, I would like everyone to lay out your plans if the scenario I just played out was to occur just as Claude did." Jia commanded, earning a few groans noticeably from both Raphael and Leonie.

An hour passed and Jia inspected the class's work. The plans ranged from political manoeuvring to straight up surrender and suicidal charges. "While I'm unlikely to teach you again soon, I'll be sure to pass on remarks to Manuela and Magoichi." Jia said kindly, not sharing any of his thoughts on the more foolish plans. "You may leave." Jia dismissed the class organised the papers for Manuela and Magoichi to look at when they were less occupied.

Later that day, Jia was once more given the reigns to teach freely. This time however he was in charge of the Black Eagles, Byleth taking a leaf out of his book and sitting off to the side observing. His lesson was the same as that he delivered to the Golden Deer. It had gone well thus far, the majority of the class seeming to absorb his key points. When Jia offered ups his hypothetical scenario, Edelgard too asked for the purpose of war between the three nations. "The Empire would do no such thing." Edelgard challenged in her usual calm manner. "That is why it is a hypothetical." Jia explained. "I would demand my father reconsider." Edelgard countered immediately. "Noble, though people have been condemned to live out their days in cells for less." Jia mused, wondering briefly how to get Edelgard to play out his scenario.

An unexpected pause led Jia to give Edelgard a pointed look. She was sat rigidly, looking at him but not seeming to see. Jia's expression fell to a frown, he seemed to have poked a wound he ought not have. "Let us look at this differently." Jia announced, retreating to Byleth's desk and obtaining some paper. He quickly wrote on them. "Each of you would likely be generals in this scenario, not all working in the same location. I've assigned you all different garrisons and varying goals. I want details of how you will achieve them." Jia explained, handing the first piece of paper to Caspar. The final handout was given to Edelgard, an extra note on the bottom reading 'Speak to me after'.

The lesson was uneventful from then on, the majority of students focusing on their task. Petra alone needed some extra help and even then it was not for lack of tactical thought. Soon the lesson ended and papers were turned in, Jia piled them to one side to take back to his quarters and examine later.

Left in the room with him were now only Byleth, Edelgard and Hubert. Jia was beginning to suspect that Hubert's menacing stare was a permanent state for the boy. "You wanted to speak to me?" Edelgard asked formally. "I merely wish to offer an apology for earlier." Jia said softly, bowing his head lightly. "I did not wish to draw attention to it, but it seems as if I brushed a subject a little too close to you." Jia elaborated, raising his head to look Edelgard in the eye. For a brief moment, Edelgard appeared to be debating something internally.

Edelgard blinked. "Your discretion is appreciated professor." Edelgard said, bowing her own head for a moment. "If that is all?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, she got a nod for Jia in return. The pair of students left, leaving only Byleth and Jia. "May I examine these?" Byleth asked, flicking through the students assignments. "By all means, as long as I can have them back when you are done." Jia allowed. Byleth nodded her head and took a seat behind the desk.

Jia took this as his cue to leave and exited the classroom. His focus had shifted to making sure Magoichi was actually okay, despite knowing what likely awaited him Jia felt it best to make sure his friend was alright.

Jia found himself in front of the door to Manuela's quarters. He took a breath before knocking twice. In no time at all the door opened a crack in response. "Jia?" The clear voice of Magoichi asked in confusion. "Mago, mind opening the door or are the pair of you indecent?" Jia asked teasingly. The door was opened in response and Jia entered. Magoichi closed the door with surprising haste behind him.

A quick glance around the room revealed that the mess that cluttered it before had been banished. A clearing of her throat brought his attention to Manuela, who was sitting on her bed wearing her usual attire, sans cloak. "Ah yes how rude of me. Good to see you Manuela." Jia said with a bow in greeting. "May I ask, seeing as you're not as exhausted as I was led to believe why did you not teach today?" Jia asked as he stood back straight, locking eyes with Manuela who turned away slightly. "We had to clean this up." Magoichi offered, gesturing around the room. "We could dance around if you wish Mago, but would you not rather just get this over with?" Jia asked with a chuckle. Magoichi ruffled his own hair. "All right, I explained to Manuela our situation." Magoichi confessed.

Jia stiffened in surprise at the revelation. "Is that right?" He asked pensively, his gaze returning to Manuela. She nodded in response. "Bed her or leave her?" She asked almost out of the blue, causing Jia to wince slightly. "Ah, I apologise for the crude way of putting it but it seemed the best way to offer the ultimatum at the time." Jia explained with a nervous chuckle, Manuela pouted sadly in response. "Seems mean spirited to me Jia." She admonished. "If Magoichi has told you everything then you must know we won't be here forever. The intent was for Magoichi to decide where your relationship stood was all." He explained further. "I apologise none the less if my words hurt you." Jia hung his head in apology. "Alright, I forgive you dear" She forgave easily, prompting Jia to raise his head.

Jia returned his focus to Magoichi. "So how much has been shared?" He asked. "What was needed, merging of worlds, mystics, realm travel, Orochi." Magoichi began to list. Jia raised his hand, silencing Magoichi. "That's more than necessary Mago." He said with a sigh. "It all seemed quite fantastical, but more importantly it has helped me understand the hesitance you showed in connecting with us." Manuela explained, prompting a curious look from Jia. "I mean you've been very friendly dear but it has seemed like you keep everyone at arm's length." She lamented.

Jia had hoped it was not noticeable, and perhaps it was not to most people. Manuela seemed able to read more into people than he gave credit for. "I have been doing that, bravo for noticing." Jia praised lightly. "I suppose the most important thing now is to ask you to keep our origins a secret for now?" He requested. "I already promised Mago." She answered honestly. Jia was content with that. "So, our secrets have been shared, do we get any in return?" Jia asked in a teasing manner. "Nothing you can use." Magoichi said, pointing to the door in a none too subtle suggestion for Jia to leave.

Another bow out of instinctual courtesy was given by Jia. "Alright, Don't wear each other out now." Jia could not help but taunt and left the room. A pillow narrowly missed him as he shut the door.

Jia had no doubt the pair would soon take advantage of their solitude. Jia headed back to his quarters, wanting to rest after the surprisingly full day of teaching.

The fortunes that be would not allow it however. Outside his quarters stood a knight of Seiros, the uniform she donned was light in the fashion of messengers or scouts. The scout stood to attention once he had approached. "Jia sir, a group of our knights have cornered the Black Eagles target for this month. Your class is mobilising now." She passed on her message. Jia merely pinched the bridge of his nose in mild annoyance. "I see." He spoke softly. "Byleth is more than capable of looking after the students alone, they do not truly need me for this." Jia explained, getting a frown from the scout. "Apologies Jia sir, it is mandatory for all members of a class to attend their mission." She objected, sounding more than a little nervous. If Jia had to guess, he was certain the scout had been on the receiving end of one too many tongue lashings. "Alright, allow me to gather my things. Where am I to meet my class?" He asked and the scout obliged. He would meet the Black Eagles just outside the gate.

What Jia needed was simple, his weapon and a little advantage. His weapon was in an obvious location for all to see, once he grabbed it he then got to his knees and retrieved a small box from under Magoichi's bed. The box contained an assortment of trinkets, though Jia only needed one. A small bag which contained what the mystics back home all agreed was a fragment of a dragon's spleen. It was unclear why but being close to the organ would boost a warrior's mystical potential. Jia tied the bag to his waist and returned the box. He left the room prepared to help the students succeed in their first battle.

It came as a bit of a surprise that he was not the last one to assemble, Bernadetta and Dorothea were yet to assemble. The assembled class were currently preoccupying themselves as they waited. Linhardt was attempting to nap and would likely have done so if Caspar was not performing his warm-up routine of shadow boxing so close to the boy. Ferdinand was diligent as ever, making sure his spear was in good repair. 'No doubt Dmitri's feat of shattering it has made the boy nervous' Jia assessed silently.

Edelgard and Hubert were deep in conversation and though Jia was curious he chose to the not indulge it. Petra was a short distance from the group, bow and arrow in hand. The look of focus on her face gave away she was hunting small game, though Jia was amazed there would be much so close to the keep, he would have to ask more about it later. Byleth was saddling up her horse, preparing it to ride. Surprising as everyone else seemed to have a horse ready to go, even his own. Choosing to observe no further, Jia approached the young teacher. "Need a hand?" He offered.

Byleth gave the creature a soft pat on the neck. "All good." She affirmed. It seemed there was not as much left to do as Jia had thought. "Then may I ask what you know of our target? I've been given little to go on except they have been cornered." Jia inquired. "They are the bandits who attacked the house leaders a little while back. Their leader wields and axe and seems none-too bright." Byleth explained, wincing slightly when she mentioned the leader's weapon. "I can see why eradication would be the goal then, still a pity bandits can often be swayed with a guarantee of income." Jia lamented. "You would recruit them?" Byleth asked, surprise evident on her face. "Why not? Bandits are often forced into their way of life, offer and alternative and you gain soldiers as well as eliminating a scourge on the people. Two birds one stone." Jia explained. "Not all people change." Byleth stated simply in response. "No but not all people show you there true selves either." Jia countered.

The conversation could have gone on longer but the pair of Dorothea and Bernadetta arrived, one more sullen than the other.

Wordlessly, the Black Eagles began to mount their horses. Jia elected to mount his own, it had the same look as the one Catherine had him ride on his initial arrival to Garreg Mach. Edelgard and Byleth took command and led the Black Eagles to their quarry, Jia was content to ride at the back of the pack.

It came as a surprise that their target was so close to the monastery. The group came upon and enclosed canyon and stopped to dismount as the students had little training in mounted combat. "So this is the Red Canyon..." Edelgard began, though Jia tuned out her words as he examined the lay of the land before him. The enemy bandits were certainly entrenched with no obvious means of escape. "...The cornered mice might bite us." Edelgard finished and the Black Eagles began to take up a loose formation. Jia for his part stood near Linhardt and Bernadetta as they seemed like they would need more support than the rest.

Edelgard explained the lay of the land to Byleth and how they could flank the enemy before ultimately leaving command to the young professor. "I'd advise against flanking, if we give the illusion of escape they may fight with less ferocity." Jia stated, though Byleth gave no indication as to whether she would heed his advice.

The first encounter involved a pair of axe wielding bandits controlling the choke-point of a bridge. Ferdinand and Edelgard took the initiative and charged these foes. It seemed the bandits had little skill as Ferdinand skewered his target in one blow, ending his life. "These ruffians are nothing for a noble like me!" He declared. Edelgard was similarly swift, though ended her foe with a slash across the chest. "Regrettable... But there was no other way." She lamented, which Jia did not expect.

The bridge gave entry to a wider field with which to manoeuvrer and already more bandits were advancing on the group. Mercifully only one seemed armed with a ranged weapon. Once more Ferdinand and Edelgard took on the melee assailants, locking them in combat. The bandits seemed more capable than the last, as Ferdinand and Edelgard struggled to land finishing blows. "Allow me to clean this up for you, Lady Edelgard." Hubert's voice suddenly sounded as he fired a sphere of dark magic at the swordsman fighting Edelgard. He fell dead at her feet. A brief nod of acknowledgement was all Edelgard gave as she moved on to assist Ferdinand with his foe. The pair easily felled the bandit.

An arrow shot passed Edelgard's head, cutting a few strands of hair. The bandit that fired looked furious at how narrowly he missed his target. A roar pierced the air as Caspar appeared seemingly from thin air and cleaved the archer's neck, leaving him dead in one blow. He was about to comment but stopped short, as duo of swordsmen were approaching the group.

Meanwhile at the rear of the Eagles, a lone Axeman was charging from the West. Linhardt was the intended target and the boy froze for a fraction too long. Linhardt raised his arm and closed his eyes bracing for an attack, knowing it would do little to help him. Then nothing. Linhardt opened his eyes to see the bandit on the floor seemingly unconscious, an orb the size of his head a short distance from the fallen foe. A quick examination of those around him revealed that Bernadetta had her bow drawn and aimed at where the bandit previously stood, as well a spell beginning to manifest at Dorothea's fingertips. Jia returned to a neutral position, his attack hitting home and disabling the bandit. "T-thank you" Linhardt said clearly, which Jia shook off. "Unnecessary on the battlefield." Jia replied simply.

It was then that Byleth began to give some orders. "Jia, you and Linhardt seal off the West." She commanded. Jia was not usually one to argue whilst in battle however felt the need to object. "Linhardt is the closest to an expert in healing we have no? He should go with the rest, Bernadetta would be better suited to assisting me." Jia offered as an alternative. "Take Linhardt." She responded in a tone that implied finality. "Very well." Jia agreed, beginning to walk to the Western point, that seemed guarded by a lone bandit. "Linhardt with me." He said with some authority, the boy obliging and following the strategist.

Back with the main group, Petra had joined the battle, fighting in tandem with Caspar's savage attacks as the pair took on a duo of swordsmen. The bandits own fighting was sloppy and uncoordinated, demonstrated best when the first missed a stab at Petra and found his face connect with Caspar's axe. Ending in his demise. The second Swordsman did not fancy his chances alone and began to retreat away from the pair. He did not get far as he was crippled by an orb of pure lightning courtesy of Dorothea. The bandit had no chance at putting up any further defence as Petra's blade struck home, ending one more bandit. "So, is making us experience a real battle part of the church's teachings?" Dorothea asked no-one in particular with the lull in battle. No answer seemed forthcoming from Byleth or Edelgard, the two most authoritative members of the house present. "We should be focusing." Petra answered, pointing out the enemies grouped up ahead.

Back in the West, Jia and Linhardt had dispatched the lone Axeman guarding the path with ease. "Naught else to do but make sure none attempt to pass." Jia explained, resting his staff in the ground. "I will not lie, I am grateful to not be in the thick of battle." Linhardt responded with a yawn as the boy seemed to be in a permanent state of drowsiness. "Not to overstep, but why join a military academy if you do not wish to fight?" Jia asked, taking into account Linhardt's dislike for most military drills. A frown found its way onto the boy's face. "My father willed it, not something I can argue with if I wish to keep living the way I am accustomed." Linhardt answered with a sigh. Jia was about to offer what little advice he could, when something quite peculiar began to happen.

The world was blurring around him, before beginning to melt away. The sensation was not unlike that which he felt when Magoichi and himself came to this world.

Jia's vision returned, his breathing getting a little heavier. He found himself in a similar position to that of moments ago. "Alright, Take Bernadetta." Byleth said to him with a nod. "Sorry, what?" Jia asked puzzled, the beginnings of a headache beginning to take hold of him. Byleth merely looked at him with a puzzled expression. Before He could further press his question, Bernadetta was by his side. "L-let's go Professor." She said in her usual timid fashion, shaking Jia from his stupor. "Alright." Jia said, taking the lead despite his feeling of nausea.

The pair reached the choke-point to the West, which was once more guarded by an axe-wielding bandit. An arrow hit the bandit square in the neck, causing him to crumple to the ground. "A fine shot." Jia complimented, taking stand where he did before. "T-thanks." She responded in gratitude. A silent moment passed between the two. "Um, professor?" Bernadetta asked, waiting for Jia's acknowledgement. A nod from him was enough for here to continue. "Are you feeling alright? N-not that you look unwell just. Well back there was weird." Bernadetta clarified. "Your concern is appreciated, I was merely a little light-headed for a moment." Jia answered with a reassuring smile. A comfortable silence fell upon the two, as the stood alert in case bandits fled their way.

Around ten minutes later and footsteps could be heard approaching. Bernadetta knocked an arrow, while several floating orbs began to rotate around Jia. They need not have worried, as Dorothea's familiar face was that which greeted them. "We have won the day." She announced with an infectious amount of enthusiasm. "Safe to assume everyone is one piece yes?" Jia asked cautiously, earning a wince from Dorothea. "Caspar's going to have a nasty looking scar, but thanks to Linhardt we're all alive." She explained. Jia nodded, happy in the knowledge no one was lost.

The trio found themselves walking back to the main group. Petra was examining bodies for any salvageable equipment it seemed and most notably Linhardt was knelt off to the side caring for Caspar, who seemed the most afflicted of the bunch. Of note Jia could not spot Byleth anywhere which was off-putting for a few reasons. "So, where is our commander?" Jia asked. "Scouting, as is Lady Edelgard." The familiar voice of Hubert answered. Jia could not resist flinching as the boy succeeded in taking him by surprise. "They suspect more enemies about?" Jia asked further. "No, I believe the professor is taking the opportunity to learn more of the lay of the land. Lady Edelgard however wished to take advantage of the solitude and ask some things of our professor." Hubert explained candidly. Jia raised a brow. "No, I so not know the specifics." Hubert answered the unasked question.

Hubert was in stood in front of Jia now, eyeing Jia's weapon. "If I may ask, how exactly do you wield that?" He asked. Jia handed the pole to Hubert. "A martial manifestation of one's strategic abilities." Jia explained, a smile tugging at his lips. "It was always a little vague but that is how it was explained to me." Jia finished, remembering the words of Fu Xi from some time ago. A sigh escaped Hubert. "So, you can that pass on these abilities?" He asked, frustration lining his tone. "I have never tried but I have my doubts it is possible." Jia answered honestly. He had not heard of any of the other strategists passing on their abilities and even if Jia could he was certain it would be a power he should not be spreading to this foreign world.

Hubert returned Jia's weapon and seemed about to ask another question, when Byleth and Edelgard reappeared. "We head back to Garreg Mach." Byleth announced and the students dutifully prepared to march back. "Jia, by me." Byleth added, prompting the strategist to ride to Byleth's side once he had mounted.

The ride home started in silence. Not uncommon when in Byleth's company. That was until the canyon was out of sight. "How do we grade them?" Byleth's question pierced the silence. "You saw more of them than I, you are also in charge." Jia answered in an obvious attempt to deflect the responsibility. "Linhardt and Bernadetta." Byleth shot back immediately. "Linhardt followed orders around me, though you still saw more of him than I." Jia answered. "As for Bernie, well her aim is certainly on point even if her heart is not." Jia concluded honestly. Byleth nodded. "Better than anticipated." She said calculatingly. "Thank you." She finished and Jia took that as his cue to fall back in the formation. Edelgard was quick to take position by her side.

'Puppy love' Jia chuckled to himself. "What has brought you joy?" The questioning voice of Petra probed. "Old memories." Jia quickly lied. "May you be sharing?" She asked further. Jia shook his head softly, he should have seen that question coming. "A little to personal, another time maybe." He answered with a reassuring smile. Surprisingly Petra seemed to let it lie at that.

The rest of the ride back was filled with idle chatter between the students, boasting and acknowledgements mostly.

Garreg Mach was in sight and the pace hastened ever so slightly as the students wished to return to normality. Jia was patient enough to let the students enter the gates first, the guards making sure everyone was who they said they were. Once it was Jia's turn to be checked he was surprised to see Magoichi stood there waiting for him, a look of concern on his face. "Professor Jia, you may enter." The nearest guard spoke, allowing him to enter. Jia chanced his luck and dismounted, handing the reigns of his horse to the guard. "Urgent report to make." Jia spoke, not caring to check in the guard had accepted his word as he headed to his friend. Magoichi had headed in the direction of the fishing pond.

Jia caught up to Magoichi, who had stopped before the water away from any other person. "Something weird happened when you were gone." Magoichi said plainly. "Go on?" Jia pressed. "Its hard to pin down, but it felt like the room melted away for a moment. Ugh, even saying out loud sounds foolish." Magoichi said, his hand rubbing his forehead.

Jia placed a comforting hand on Magoichi's shoulder. "It is something I too experienced." Jia said. "But I was with the Black Eagle class at the time, no one else seemed to suffer from the same effect." Jia pondered the thought aloud. "I assume you were with Manuela at the time, did she seem to notice it?" Jia asked, in need of more information. "She was not, its one of the reasons I rushed to find you." Magoichi said before sighing. "You could have warned me you were heading out." Magoichi admonished lightly, earning a wave of the hand from Jia. "Forgive me, its easy to forget we're the only ones here from our times." Jia apologised. "Which by the way, may be why we're suffering these effects and those around us are not." Jia theorised. "If only Fu Xi or Nu Wa were here, we could just ask them and be done with it." Magoichi noted in frustration.

"Oh, are those your Mystic friends?" The voice of Flayn asked out of the blue, causing both men to stiffen. Jia shook his head before turning to Flayn. "Where did you learn that word Flayn?" He asked softly. "I overheard Hubert speaking about it." She answered, seemingly honestly. Jia raised a brow. "Who was he speaking to?" He probed further. Flayn shook here head. "I'm afraid I do not know, I only heard Hubert's voice." She explained. "Ah no matter. To answer your question, yes they are a couple of our Mystic friends." Jia told her, earning a questioning glance from Magoichi. "Well if it is something of magical nature you need help with, Lady Rhea or my brother might be able to help." Flayn suggested in an attempt to be helpful. "It couldn't hurt, thanks kid." Magoichi said, attempting to ruffle the girl's hair. She took a step back, either not fond of the action or simply not sure what Magoichi intended.

Jia offered a bow in farewell to the pair. "I'm sure a report will be expected of me, I'll broach the issue then. Take care you two." Jia said, beginning to leave. He felt a tug on his arm and noticed it was Flayn. She motioned for him to bring her ear down to his level. He obliged. "Apologies, but you may wish to bathe." She whispered in to his ear, before letting him stand up and leaving his company. Jia watched her leave with a look of shock. "What was that about?" Magoichi asked as he approached his friend. "D-do I smell?" Jia asked his friend with a look of concern. Magoichi simply laughed.


	5. Downtime

Magoichi's laughter slowly stopped. "Perhaps Flayn has a sensitive nose? You smell fine Jia." Magoichi said, still holding back some laughter. "Truthfully?" Jia asked, looking unconvinced. "Of course." Magoichi reassured. "Though if you're worried, it might be a good chance for us to try out the hot springs." Magoichi offered, earning a questioning gaze from Jia. "Manuela told me about it before the incident." Magoichi explained. "As tempting as it is, I'm sure Byleth would appreciate some assistance in delivering her report, perhaps tomorrow?" Jia suggested and was about to leave and report to Rhea. "I'm holding you to that." Magoichi taunted as his friend left.

Jia had a good lay of the Garreg Mach by now and found himself outside of Rhea's audience chamber quickly. The entrance was shut and a guard was posted outside. It seemed Byleth was already delivering her report and the guard was instructed to let no one else in. Jia decided to wait for Byleth to finish and find out how the report was receive seeing as he was already there.

It turned out he did not have to wait long, as not a moment later both Seteth and Rhea exited the chamber. "Ah yes, we were wondering where you were." Seteth stated with an odd look on his face. "Apologies, was Byleth able to complete her report without me?" Jia asked, earning a nod in response. The pair seemed to wish to get away for some reason unknown to Jia and they left his company. Byleth was still inside the audience chamber and Jia felt it best to check what feedback if any, the pair had given her.

When Jia entered the chamber he heard a loud yawn coming from Byleth. "Tired after such a long day?" Jia asked and he noticed Byleth's shoulders stiffen. She turned to face him and her expression was as unreadable as ever. "I am good." She said bluntly. "Then a yawn from boredom? How unbecoming of a leader." He teased, though gained no laughter.

The two stood in uneasy silence for a moment. "Well, I only wished to know how the report went?" Jia asked. "Acceptable. Will you join our celebration?" Byleth invited. "There's to be a celebration? I was beginning to think you not the type." Jia teased. "Edelgard's idea." She clarified. Jia's expression went neutral. "I see, well I never turn down an opportunity to bask in merriment so consider me there." Jia accepted. "This evening, in the dining hall." Byleth instructed and began to leave the strategist. 'Wish I could mask my feelings that well' Jia thought to himself with a sigh and left the room.

Later deep in the evening, Jia found himself outside the dining hall flanked by both Magoichi and Manuela. "Seteth really made an error appointing you both as guardians" Jia said with a laugh, Manuela joining him. "Maybe he wants it to be a proper celebration?" Magoichi suggested also in high spirits. Jia opened the door and held it for his companions to enter.

The Dining hall's air was warm and filled with the sound of conversation. One nobles boasting was particularly audible. "I'm gonna go help the cooks guard the alcohol." Magoichi stated. Unsurprisingly, Manuela stayed by his side leaving Jia to his own devices.

"Oh, professor you made it." The familiar voice of Dorothea said. "I'm not one to miss out on celebrations." Jia said with a bow in greeting. "What have I missed?" He asked. Dorothea put a finger to her chin, pausing in though. "Hmm, Ferdinand's been boasting to anyone who'll listen. Caspar has challenged three different knights to fist-fight him. Linhardt wandered off somewhere with that Annette from the Blue Lions. And Edie's trying to get to know our professor better but that stays between us" She explained, adding a wink with her last statement. "Anyone who looks would be able to see it, but I shall keep it to myself." Jia said with a nod of his head. "I hope it goes well." Jia encouraged and Dorothea found herself in agreement.

The pair found themselves wandering toward the back of the hall, not far from where Magoichi and Manuela "Guarded" the alcohol. "I have been wondering, is there anyone special in our professor from a distant land's life?" Dorothea broached the subject suddenly. "Many" Jia answered, surprising her. "I don't mean like yourself and professor Saika you know." She clarified. "I see, well if you wish for me to be honest no-one serious as of late." Jia elaborated. Dorothea looked a tad surprised at the revelation. "You're not some scoundrel stringing along young maidens are you?" She asked, her usually kind tone wavering. "Not quite how you're imagining it." Jia replied. "Maidens certainly, but Cai and Ina were not people to toy with." Jia clarified, a smile gracing his face as he reminisced. "Lovely names." Dorothea observed. Jia nodded. "Fun to drink with, fun to feast with and reliable on the field of battle. Little more could be asked for." Jia stated.

The pair were silent for a moment, Jia losing himself in memory and Dorothea wondering how to press on as Jia seemed in a sharing mood. "Nothing more intimate than that?" Dorothea finally asked. "No, that would not have been entirely fair." Jia responded, a hint of sadness creeping into his tone. "Professor?" She asked in concern. "Its nothing." Jia said with a shake of his head, his tone returning to one of cheer.

"Seeing as we're sharing intimate details, how goes your search?" Jia asked, steering the subject away from himself. She merely sighed in response. "That bad?" Jia questioned further. "I've had no luck despite my time spent with suitors." She lamented. "No one here would want you to settle for less than you desired." Jia consoled. "I notice you've not given any time to your classmates, perhaps a dip into that pool could provide a solution to your quest?" Jia suggested getting a dismissive giggle from Dorothea. "Who would you suggest professor? Hubert? He loves Edie too much even if he will not freely admit it." She was quick to dismiss the boy. "Ferdie cares just a little too much about having a noble title to settle for a commoner." She likewise dismissed Ferdinand. Jia thought perhaps a little quickly but kept silent. "Caspar's more like a brother to me and Linhardt is too focused on his own desires, which is great but unless his focus shifts to maintaining a family household I feel sorry for his future partner." Dorothea finished explaining why she had not tried to pursue her classmates.

Jia let the sounds of celebration ring for a moment as he processed what Dorothea had said. "Hmm, What about Bernadetta or Petra? Bernadetta is the heir to a noble house and if I recall Petra is next in line to the throne of a kingdom?" Jia suggested, earning a curious look from Dorothea. "I left them out because they are not interested in women." Dorothea said, shooting down Jia's suggestion. "Is that right? I was certain..." Jia stopped, realising he was voicing his thoughts aloud. "Never-mind, there are still other houses with candidates to investigate." He encouraged. "I'll keep it in mind" Was her response.

Dorothea had finished her drink and had left Jia's company to go refill her cup. 'The grand strategist Guo Jia, turned matchmaker.' He thought as he observed the hall. Everyone continued to be in fine spirits, even Caspar had stopped his attempts to brawl and had instead joined a group of older students in some form of drinking game. He was starting to ascertain the rules, when a cup of wine was suddenly in front of him. "Our alcohol guardians are certainly lax this evening" Dorothea joked and Jia took the offered beverage. "Magoichi is not one to refuse a drink to someone who risked their life in battle." Jia confessed, taking a sip from his drink. He found it tasted much sweeter than the one he shared with Jeralt.

"Speaking of Magoichi, he gave me another suitor to consider." Dorothea said letting her sentence linger in the air. "Is that right?" Jia questioned, already sensing where this conversation was going to lead. "According to Magoichi, in your homeland you're both wealthy and influential." She began. "We already get on well, and you're not in any intimate relationships." She continued, getting close enough for her arm to touch his. "What do you say to a date?" She asked, fluttering her eyelids. "I am flattered." Jia responded truthfully before shaking his head. "But I must decline." He refused. "May I ask why?" She seemed hurt. "It is not a simple answer, take comfort in knowing the fault lies with me and not you." He explained, no longer willing to look the girl in the eyes. A sigh escaped her lips. "I'll forgive you for now professor." Her tone was teasing. "But if that's all I can expect for now then I must mingle more." She explained and gave him a light wave before leaving his company.

Being left alone Jia decided to check in with more of the Black Eagles, his first port of call being Ferdinand who had by now gathered quite the crowd. "And so I valiantly slew a seventh bandit in single combat for the Von Aegir name!" He boasted and Jia had to stifle a chuckle. The boy certainly could embellish. "Ah, is that our professor I spy." A familiar voice spoke from amongst the crowd. It was Hubert. "While Ferdinand's tales are interesting perhaps you'd deign to share a story of your own victories?" He prompted, and a quick glance at his hand revealed that he too had been drinking this evening.

It was refreshing to see Hubert drop his usual guise of seriousness, assuming it was not an act. "I suppose I could, what sort of tale were you hoping for?" Jia inquired. "One of your own valiant triumphs over a superior enemy!" Ferdinand declared before Hubert could speak, prompting an annoyed glare from him. "I suppose I can do that. I shall tell you of the fall of Fengxian." Jia started, excited at the prospect of telling of Cao Cao's victory over Lu Bu to those who had never heard it before.

Jia stood in the command tent by a map of the local area. He was surrounded by familiar faces, his lord Cao Cao standing at the head of the map. "Lu Bu has holed himself inside of Xia Pi castle and seems determined to hold out there." Cao Cao explained the situation once more to those gathered. Jia had a few tactics ready to suggest to his lord but instead held his tongue, wanting to allow the newcomer Jia Xu to offer advice. "If he is so determined to stay locked inside the castle then we would be best served to target the flood gates, they will either be flushed out or drown." Jia Xu explained, pointing to floodgates around the back of the castle.

There were murmurs of discontent from the other officers, no one seeming to want to agree with the newcomer's plan. "Its a sound strategy, who would you send to assault the gate?" Jia questioned. "Master Xiahou Dun or Yu Jin would be most suited for the task." Xu responded without missing a beat. Jia smiled and looked toward Yu Jin. "Master Yu Jin, would you do the honours?" He requested and received a stern bow from the man in question. "I will do as commanded." Yu Jin swore. Everyone turned to Cao Cao for confirmation and he nodded. "Very well, we shall flood them. Dun, Yuan attack the area around the main gate, draw their attention." Cao Cao commanded and that was that. The officers left the tent until only Cao Cao and Guo Jia remained.

"It heartens me to know there our other capable strategists flocking to you my lord." Jia spoke plainly and his lord smiled. "But none can replace you Jia, do not doubt that." Cao Cao reassured him and Jia chuckled. "No early retirement filled with wine and fair maidens for me then, such a demanding lord." He joked and the pair shared a laugh. "Well if there is nothing else, I'll make sure the troops are prepared." Jia said in farewell before bowing to his lord and leaving the tent.

To Jia's surprise Jia Xu was stood off to the side, seemingly waiting for him as he approached once he spotted him. "Thank you for giving me that opportunity master Guo Jia." Xu said with a nod of acknowledgement. Jia rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Was it that obvious?" Jia said jovially before waving away the thanks. "You are a fine addition to Lord Cao Cao's forces, continue to provide him with sound strategies as your thanks." Jia suggested. "I will endeavour to do so. Until next time master Guo Jia." Xu said with a light bow and left to prepare his unit for the coming battle.

Jia was alone standing outside of Cao Cao's tent and gazed upon the army assembled before him. 'If warriors and strategists alike continue to flock to you my lord, it does not matter how little time I have.' Jia thought, allowing himself a smile. The future looked bright from where he stood.

The following day, early in the morning the assault on Xia Pi began in earnest. Both Xiahou Dun and Yuan had begun their attack on the main gates and were holding the Lu Bu force;s attention. Cao Cao, Guo Jia and Jia Xu were assembled at the main camp watching the battle unfold, ready to provide reinforcements the moment things looked shaky. There was no need to fear however as within the hour a victory cry could be heard from beyond the castle and the sound of wood being raised could be heard followed by the crash of water against land.

Not even a moment later a scream of fear could be heard from within the castle. The strategy was a success and the castle was submerged in water. The gates were soon thrown open, men who still lived throwing themselves at the feet of the assaulting units begging for mercy. Their lives were spared as they were not the true problem. After minimal resistance Lu Bu found himself bound and brought before Cao Cao himself.

"Was he being the punished?" Petra asked and it was only then Jia realised the crowd had swelled since he began telling his story. "Fengxian was executed that day yes. A man that strong and unpredictable could not be allowed free." Jia explained and while some looked at him with understanding there were a few who looked sickened. "He should have been allowed a chance to atone." A student he was unfamiliar with spoke out. "Forgive me, it seems I did not properly inform you as to the nature of the man." Jia apologised. "It was most unlikely that Fengxian would be anything but a thorn in the side of a realm at peace." Jia elaborated and the student scoffed. "If you know of anyone else who had three fathers and murdered each of them to be beneficial to the world I am open to hearing about them." Jia explained even further, the students looked at him in both shock and confusion. "The topic of Fengxian aside, what happened to the others who opposed your lord?" Hubert asked. "Many of them joined my lord's army, their strategist Chen Gong was the only other officer executed that day." Jia answered honestly.

Hubert raised a brow, and once he realised that was not enough asked for Jia to explain why. "Chen Gong once betrayed my lord before I'd ever even met him. It was one of the few crimes my lord was unwilling to forgive." Jia explained simply before yawning. "Ah, forgive me reminiscing has made me tired." Jia chuckled before bowing to his students. "Ask me for more stories next time we celebrate." Jia offered in way of farewell and left the celebration for the night, heading to his quarters.

The next morning Jia was awoken by the now expected knock on his door. "I swear if Mago's abandoned his class again..." Jia began muttering to himself as he opened his room's door. Standing there was a cheerful looking Magoichi. "Rise and shine Jia, time for the Hot Springs." Magoichi announced earning a tired groan from his friend. "Hey now, I warned you." He explained. "Surely it could have waited?" Jia challenged, though was already dressing in to his day clothes. "Manuela said something about access being only semi-restricted so if you want to relax its best to hit it this early." Magoichi passed on the explanation. Jia was now outside the room with Magoichi. "Alright, lead on then." He said, gesturing for the sharpshooter to lead the way.

The hot springs in question were not officially within Garreg Mach's grounds, as Magoichi led the pair outside the main gate and down the main path for a few minutes. A trail that Jia had failed to notice previously was connected to their path. The trail was noticeably sloping downwards at a shallow pace. Jia wanted to ask questions but suspected that Magoichi would be unable to answer them and thus resigned to following Magoichi in silence.

At the end of the trail was the mouth of a cave, large enough for a unit of soldiers to comfortably fit in without compromising their formation. "I hope this is not underneath any structures." Jia wondered aloud. "Turn off that tactical part of your brain for the day dear." The voice of Manuela spoke as she stepped into view. "Its not a simple thing to do" He responded with a chuckle, earning a scoff from the woman.

The three walked further into the cave, torches lining the walls indicating that it was used frequently used by people. The cave gradually got narrower, until the point converged and a wooden wall had been built. The wall had two doors, one marked Men and the other Women. "Well, we part here. The rest should be simple." Manuela said, before leaning in and giving Magoichi a kiss on the cheek. She gave a light wave to Jia and entered her door. "Shame, I thought they'd be mixed." Magoichi lamented. Jia pat his friend on the back in mock sympathy, before opening their door for him.

Behind the door was another narrow hall which turned sharply to the left. The pair followed it, the temperature creeping up until it opened up into a room. The room was not overly large but it did contain a dozen wooden boxes on the floor, spaced evenly. Most of the boxes contained nothing but a dry towel though a few contained clothing. Mostly student uniforms but one set of clothing stood out to Jia. "Jeralt and some students seem to have beaten us here." He noted.

The pair then promptly claimed their own box, removing the towel and disrobing. "You knew what we were doing and you still wore so many layers Mago?" Jia asked dumbly as he stood in nothing but the small towel provided waiting for his friend to catch up. He got no response.

Once Magoichi had finished disrobing himself and likewise only wore the towel, the pair exited via the only other door. The man-made wooden interior gave way once back to natural rock. Natural pools of steaming water littered the area though they were nothing compared to the large body of water in the centre of the cave. The only signs of human intervention being the wooden screen that seemed to cut off some of the spring. 'Probably the women's side' Jia thought and began to walk towards the spring.

Once they were by the side of the largest pool, it was easier to spot the occupants. It seemed that apart from Jeralt it was the Blue Lion students making use of it. Jeralt sat by himself, eyes closed and seemingly isolated from the goings on in the spring. Jia was similarly interested in keeping to himself as he relaxed in waters and entered, letting out a light sigh in pleasure as the steaming water made contact with his skin. A moment later and Magoichi entered as well. "Its been a while, I missed the feeling of hot water." Magoichi joked, before extending a closed fist in front of Jia. "By the way, this is from Manuela." He said, loosening his fist and allowing some dust to enter the water around Jia. "It'll make you smell of lavender." He explained before taking a more relaxed position. Jia merely rolled his eyes as he like-wise loosened up. "I'll be sure to offer my thanks." He responded flatly before closing his eyes.

The peace that the pair had expected did not last long as soon they were interrupted. "Professor?" A boy's voice asked and Jia opened his eyes to see Dmitri standing a few paces away. "Yes Dmitri?" Jia responded as Magoichi did not seem interested in taking time away from his relaxation. "I will be quick, I wish for you to teach the Blue Lions one of your strategy lessons." The boy requested. Jia looked at him with a look of slight confusion. "You could not have asked that at another time?" Jia asked. Dmitri hung his head, looking intently at the water. "My apologies, you always looked busy while wandering the Monastery grounds." He explained, prompting Jia to sigh. "Alright, I'll not deny you the opportunity to learn." Jia agreed. "Though next time approach me when I'm clothed." He added, wanting to avoid such encounters in the future. The prince accepted this and bowed as best he could while in the water before leaving.

"I'm kinda surprised you agreed so easily." Magoichi finally chimed in once Dmitri had left. "And why not? I taught the Deer and Eagles and they did not even request it of me." Jia explained. "You agreed to teach the Eagles for our place here remember." Magoichi countered. "And I guess Manuela and I forced your hand with the Deer" Magoichi admitted with a chuckle. "Yes well, let us avoid that in future Mago." Jia said simply, letting the conversation lull into a comfortable silence between the two.

Jia had closed his eyes for another few minutes and the faint smell of lavender had began to emit from the waters. He would be forgiven for thinking he was in a luxurious private bath rather than a spring. The feeling was fleeting as a voice from near the dividing wall penetrated the silence. "Hey guys!" It called. A quick glance confirmed it was the redhead of the Blue Lions. Said Blue Lions began to gather around him, the blue-haired swordsman seemed unimpressed by whatever it was the redhead suggested as he quickly left the group of students.

"Oh-boy, that's gonna end poorly." Magoichi said with his lips spreading into a grin. "It will be a valuable learning experience." Jia stated, unable to stop his own grin from appearing. "You're the responsible one Jia." Magoichi taunted. "I am a teacher here, this is nothing if not a teachable moment." Jia fired back quickly. The pair stopped their conversation as the redhead of the group had begun to move.

"10 gold pieces says he gets poked in the eye" Magoichi offered. "A foolish bet, you know Manuela's on the other side" Jia declined. The two watched the redhead in anticipation. Whatever method of peeping the boy had he seemed to reach his destination and his face was square against the dividing wall. There he stayed for a few beats of the heart. A scream of pure pain escaped the boy as he backed up several paces in quick succession, covering his eye with his palm. The two men showed little sympathy. "And lesson taught." Jia stated mockingly. Magoichi simply chuckled.

The rest of the Blue Lions gathered around the redhead, though anything that was said was lost on the pair as they chose not to investigate the antics further than they already had.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the atmosphere was soaked in by the pair. The only thing that was known for certain was that the Blue Lions has left at some point. It was only when Magoichi had started to move did Jia really notice the near-emptiness of the spring. "I think its about time we called it." The sharpshooter said with little enthusiasm. "I suppose we should save some enjoyment for the next time we relax" Jia joked before releasing a sigh. Both men seemed reluctant to leave but knew ultimately they should not stay the entire day.

The pair found themselves back inside the room where they had left their clothes. Jia looked at his box and discovered a very different set of clothes inside accompanied by a scrap of paper. "Special request, clean these clothes. See Anna." Jia read the note aloud, a look of confusion gracing his features. "Mago, do you know an Anna?" He asked his friend. Magoichi was at this point already dressing himself. "There's a merchant hanging by the gates called that. Nice girl, bit pushy." He summed up quickly. Jia decided to not dwell on it overly long and simply meet with the woman once they returned to the Monastery. A quick examination of the clothes in his box revealed they were near-identical to those that Seteth wore. Jia sighed before donning the outfit.

"What do you think?" Jia asked a flourish, extending his arms to let Magoichi see the outfit in full. The outfit was indeed the spit of Seteth's, mimicking its navy colour and intricate golden patterns. It even had the half-cape flowing from it shoulders. "I think it will suit you more if you grow a goatee." Magoichi mocked, earning a frown from Jia. "I should speak to Anna immediately." Jia said, resigned to his temporary attire.

The pair split once at the cave's mouth, Magoichi revealing that he would wait for Manuela there. Jia spent the trip back to the main road Jia fussed with the collar of his shirt, not liking the restricting grasp it had on him.

Jia soon found himself back on Garreg Mach and could feel more than a dozen eyes fixed on him. He shook his head. 'Do not be foolish Jia' He told himself silently as he approached the nearest female merchant. She looked him up and down and it was only then he realised he did not actually know what Anna looked like. He silently chastised himself once more. "Pardon me, do you know a merchant named Anna?" He asked the woman, offering a slight bow in way of greeting. The woman gave a dismissive huff but did point a few stalls down with her thumb. Jia muttered a quick word in thanks before heading in the direction indicated.

Jia was about to start asking the merchants where he was shown but was stopped by a pink haired woman who walked with a spring in her step. "You must be Guo Jia yes?" She asked in a sing-song voice. "I am, Anna?" He asked hopefully and to his relief she nodded. "Do you have my clothes?" He pushed further, hoping to resolve the issue. "Nope, they're being cleaned right now." She answered, putting a finger to her chin. "I do have something for you though, little Flayn wanted me do destroy it." She explained, rummaging in her satchel for a moment. She soon produced a familiar looking bag. "She seemed quite offended by the contents but she only paid me to clean your clothes." She explained, handing the bag to Jia. He opened it for a brief moment to confirm its contents before tucking it away for safe keeping. "My thanks, when can I expect my clothes back?" Jia asked moving on. "A day or two." She answered him and Jia's expressionless mask began to falter. "I'm stuck wearing this for a couple of days then." He stated glumly.

Anna seemed to have planned this as in one practices twirl she widened her arms to point out her stall, currently featuring a mannequin wearing an identical set of clothes to the ones Jia usually wore but with one key difference. These were a crimson red. "I'll let you have it for a price only fair for a Professor here." She declared as if it was a done deal. "Red is really not my colour." Jia responded, dismissing the clothes. "Aww, why? You'd fit in more with your students." Anna encouraged prompting Jia to chuckle. "I suppose so." He conceded, though still struggled with the concept of wearing Wu's colours. Still if it was only temporary he could manage. He went to grab his coin purse before remembering he did not have it in the realm, nor would it have mattered if he did. "Right, I don't have any funds." Jia admitted. "I'll just charge the academy, they'll not mind." Anna waved away his concerns and was already disrobing the mannequin. Jia was about to object before realising his services were probably worth the cost of one set of clothes and decided to chance it. At worst he could always apologise.

Anna had carefully folded the clothes and handed them to Jia, who gave a bow in thanks before offering a good-bye. He retreated to his quarters and changed into the new outfit.

The next day Jia found himself in Rhea's audience chamber alongside Byleth, his outfit being a surprising topic of discussion during the trio's small-talk as they awaited Seteth.

Seteth joined them and muttered nothing but apologies as he seemed to be the last to arrive, Rhea hushed him with a raise of her hand and a forgiving smile. The pair began to brief them on what they wished for the students to do. "The Rear guard? Is it not a little soon for the kind of responsibility?" Jia asked, not wishing for such a duty to fall on inexperienced soldiers. "We do not expect you will have cause to do battle, it would be good experience for the students." Seteth explained, attempting to ease the strategist's worries.

Before Jia could object further another person entered the chamber. It was the woman who bared an eery resemblance to Tachibana Ginchiyo and who happened to retrieve Magoichi and himself when they were transported to this realm. "Excuse me. You sent for me Lady Rhea?" She asked, only speaking to the woman in question. "This is Catherine. She will be leading the knight accompanying you." Rhea explained, and Catherine began explaining pleasantries with Byleth. "This mission should prove useful in demonstrating to the students how foolish it would be to ever turn their blades on the church..." Rhea finished and began to leave the chamber. Jia would ponder these words while he left the chamber himself.

Jia had barely set foot out of the door when Catherine's voice called out behind him, prompting him to stop and turn. "Hey, looks like we're gonna work together." She said with a toothy grin. She may have reminded him of Ginchiyo physically but she behaved very differently. "It does appear that way, I hope my strategies and your sword will keep the students safe." He said diplomatically. "About that, I wanna make sure you can handle yourself on a battlefield. Meet me at the training grounds in an hour." She instructed and before Jia could offer a response she had already began to walk away. Jia sighed before heading towards the training grounds, it would be better to be early than late he suspected.

When Jia arrived at the training grounds they were near-empty except for Felix, Caspar and Catherine herself. "Not risking being late huh?" She asked him, before throwing a wooden sword at him. Jia caught it with a fumble, not expecting the act. "And how is it you wish to test me exactly?" Jia asked. "Spar with me for a bit, I wanna make sure you won't be cut down by a random rebel with a sword." She stated, squaring her stance as she pointed a wooden sword of her own at him. "Rhea describes you as far superior to that." Jia pointed out, hesitation clear in the way he held himself. "I'll go easy on you." She encouraged.

Jia looked to the only one their he was remotely familiar with. "Caspar, fetch a healer so we can do this." Jia commanded, if he had to do this he was determined to be prepared. "No need to risk an injury." Jia explained. "Confident aren't we." Catherine challenged, not sensing Jia's concern was for himself more than anything.

A few minutes passed, Catherine's stance not relaxing. Caspar had returned with Manuela in tow. Unsurprisingly Magoichi followed too. What did surprise Jia was the appearance of several students, some unknown to him but he could make out both Petra and Ferdinand. "Is there a reason we have an audience now?" Jia asked Caspar. "When I told everyone Catherine was set to spar they couldn't let the chance slip!" He explained with his usual vigour.

Catherine cleared her throat and Jia's attention slapped back to her. "Healer's hear, you ready?" She asked. Jia took a deep calming breath before doing his utmost to mimic the stance his lord usually took. He held the sword one-handed in front of him while letting his left hand relax to his side. "Alright, on your count." Jia accepted. "Oh, oh let me!" Caspar shouted with excitement as he stood in front of the gathered crowd. Catherine nodded and thus Caspar began a count. "Three." He started and Jia gripped his sword tighter. "Two." Jia noticed Catherine's legs tighten, she was going to pounce on him. "One!" Caspar finished the count and Catherine sprung towards Jia.

The sound of wood on wood resounded within the grounds as Jia sidestepped the initial attack and moved his sword to block the follow-up. 'She attacks like Dun.' Jia observed as her first attack was identical to the one eyed general. "Hey, that's pretty good." She complimented before preparing a follow up. 'Down, then diagonal back up' Jia theorised and jumped backwards to avoid the opening blow, he was too far away for the follow up to have any hope of hitting him. Catherine looked at him with a grin. "Guess you'll be alright out there." She announced. Jia bowed gratefully. He was also relieved that he remained unscathed.

The two were content to leave their contest there however, the assembled crowd were chanting for more. "Well, wanna keep going?" Catherine offered. "I see no reason to." Jia declined, knowing full well the risks of sparing with an amped up warrior. "Ah come on, I'll make it worth your while." She sang and Jia raised a brow in curiosity. "Last a minute and I'll owe you one, anything you want." She offered and Jia was tempted. Having a skilled warrior in your pocket could get one out of many situations. "And aside from pain, I've nothing to lose?" Jia enquired and Catherine nodded.

A sigh escaped for Jia. "Alright, I accept." He said, preparing himself for more fighting. "Great!" Catherine exclaimed, getting back into a fighting position. Felix had at this point produced a timer and prepared to flip it. "I won't be going easy on you any more." Catherine threatened and Jia could not help but tense up. "Begin." The cold voice of Felix declared and the timer was flipped, grains of sand already starting to fall.

Before Jia could readjust his focus to Catherine she was in front of him, bringing down her wooden sword. With no time to parry Jia made a last ditch effort to sidestep her blow, which despite missing was still enough to throw off his balance. Jia pre-emptively raised his sword to block a blow he was not sure would come. A sharp cracking sound of wood beating into wood was the first clue he guessed right, followed by the vibration travelling up his arm. It was only through determination that he kept his grip at all.

A few rapid back-steps was all Jia could think to do in order to gain some respite from the relentless assault. This bought him a few seconds at most, which he used to quickly plan a counter attempt. Catherine was on him once more and Jia feinted right. It worked and he was rewarded with his opponent launching a side-slash to catch him. He dived to the ground to avoid it and gave Catherine's ankle a whack with his sword. She let out a growl in pain in response, but unfortunately did not waver like he had hoped.

Catherine took advantage of Jia's prone form and stabbed at him with her wooden sword. Jia rolled away as best he could, looking foolish as he did but staying safe. Catherine's stab had more force than any thought considering the friendly nature of the spar as her wooden sword became embedded in the ground.

Jia got back to his feet and assumed he'd have a moment to catch his breath with Catherine's weapon stuck. He chanced a glance at the timer and was heartened by how little time seemed to remain. Catherine's sword was back in her hand and Jia prepared to defend himself once more. To Jia's dismay Catherine did not charge him instantly and instead changed her stance quite significantly. The most noticeable change being she now held her sword in both hands. Jia gulped nervously, that was identical to what Dun would do when he wished to end their contests.

Catherine closed the short distance between them and raised her sword high. Jia did the only thing he could think to do in that instance and prepared to block the strike. Catherine's sword came down and met with Jia's own. A thunderous crack sounded in the grounds. Jia's sword was splintered to pieces, the force of the strike forcing his hand to lower leaving him wide open. He was prepared to admit his defeat, but his opponent did not see this as the end of their match and a follow-up blow struck its target. The tip of Catherine's sword hit Jia's chest with a heavy impact, knocking Jia back several paces.

All of the air left his lungs and he was unable to draw in another breath for what felt like an eternity. When he finally was able to fills his lungs things seemed to get worse as it caused a fit of coughing. A quick look at his hand revealed traces of blood. 'Well, that's not good' Jia thought he said before slumping to the ground. His eyes closed and he could hear a multitude of voices but failed to distinguish what any of them said.

The world slowly blurred around Jia before turning to grey, then finally black.


	6. Mutiny in the Mist

Magoichi was pacing back and forth by the main gate to Garreg Mach. Assembled around him were a handful of the Golden Deer, namely Claude, Raphael, Leonie and Ignatz. They were currently gathered waiting for the rest of their party so they could set out and form the rearguard for the Knights of Seiros. "Hey Teach, I know you're worried about your friend but you're starting to freak people out." Claude pointed out innocently. A quick glance revealed some of the nearby merchants glancing in their direction with looks of concern. "Right, sorry." Magoichi said, stopping his pacing.

It had been a week since the incident in the training grounds and although Manuela had assured him that Jia would be fine, Magoichi could not help but harbour some frustrations. Jia was currently laid down in the infirmary, yet to awaken in a lucid manner. Manuela had given him a brief rundown that essentially their healing magic did not work on him as it did on others. He was given an explanation for this but honestly could not grasp the finer details.

It was due to Jia's incapacitation that Lady Rhea changed the class being sent on the mission to subdue Lord Lonato. Instead of the Black Eagles she elected to send all houses, though made it clear if anyone wished to not join the attack they would not be forced.

"It would seem you've beaten us here." The mature voice of Hanneman spoke, as he approached with the Blue Lion house. The only students missing from the group being the healer Mercedes and Ashe, for obvious reasons. "Almost a full house." Claude said in observation and Dimitri approached him. "Yes, for the most part all of us wish to observe the Knights of Seiros in a true battle." Dimitri explained.

The last group to arrive were Byleth and the Black Eagles. Once again very few members were not present, missing only Bernadetta and Dorothea. Byleth glanced around, looking for someone or something. "Manuela?" She asked Magoichi. "She's staying behind, I'll be keeping the kids in line." He stated matter of factly. Byleth seemed to accept that.

A few moments passed and the students devolved into idle chatter. That was until Catherine finally appeared. "This everyone?" She asked Hanneman as he was the first adult she came across. He nodded in response. "All right then, everyone saddle up, it'll be a couple days ride to Castle Gaspard." She announced, mounting her own horse. Many students took her lead and began mounting up. Magoichi noticeably stood still, his face emotionless as he stared at the knight. "Teach, lighten up." Claude said and for a moment he worried his words fell on deaf ears. Magoichi merely sighed before shaking his head. "That's right, I'm meant to be an example." He said with a grin, before mounting his horse. "Keep me grounded kids." Magoichi added before spurring his horse into a trot, joining Hanneman and Byleth near the front of the assembled group.

The Golden Deer did not set out on their march with their usual good cheer as a result of the command.

The march towards Castle Gaspard was a long one and as such the students got to learn the joy that was setting up camp with an army. The Three houses each had one large tent dedicated to them each, while the battalions they had brought along sorted their own tents. Magoichi arranged it so the battalions brought along by the Deer would be relatively close by would the need to spring into action arise.

Night crept up faster than was expected and the students found themselves around a single large fire, swapping tales and generally having fun. Magoichi would have liked to watch them for a bit longer but was pulled away by Byleth with no explanation. It wasn't until they were away from the students that she informed him of the reason. "The enemy has moved." She said simply.

Byleth and Magoichi found themselves outside of Catherine's tent, where Hanneman and Catherine herself were stood waiting. "Lonato's forces are on the move, or so our main force say." Catherine said, looking at Byleth as she spoke. "The question now is whether it's in the students best interests to from the rearguard now the knights are not certain of Lonato's movements?" Hanneman offered the question to his fellow teachers. "My students will be fine, we should power on." Byleth answered without hesitation. "I'm in agreement." Hanneman stated with a nod and the pair looked to Magoichi.

"A siege would have been safer." He thought aloud before sighing. "As long as we're careful I'm not going to tell us to turn back." He agreed, looking to Catherine. "Alright, we'll continue our march with caution." She said before waving an arm to dismiss the teachers. Hanneman returned to the Blue Lion's tent, leaving Byleth and Magoichi to return to the students.

When the pair returned, an argument of sorts had broken out between Claude and Ferdinand. "No one could do what you claim Claude." Ferdinand said dismissively to the Deer's leader. "500 says he could." Claude shot back in challenge earning a laugh from the nobleman. "Very well, Dimitri!" He called looking to the prince. "I am not going to attempt to pierce a boulder with my spear." The prince shot down the challenge.

Byleth shook her head in disapproval of the scene, though Magoichi could have sworn he saw a smile forming at the corners of her mouth. Deciding it was best to let the students revel in their camaraderie for a while longer, Magoichi decided to retire for the night.

Morning came and Magoichi found himself to be the only one to wake with the sun in the Deer tent. He got up from his sleeping roll and made his way out of the tent. A quick glance around told him all he needed to know, as the battalions were midway through disassembling their own tents. Magoichi went back inside, Claude and Leonie already stirring. "Morning's here, up we get." He said slightly under a shout. The students scrambled to get up amusing the Sharpshooter to no end. The taking down of the tent began in earnest and soon they would be on the march once more.

Back at Garreg Mach, the strategist awoke. He took a deep breath which soon turned to a nasty cough. 'Right, ribs.' He thought dryly. "Glad to see you're back with us dear." The familiar voice of Manuela rang. A brief look around revealed he was currently in his quarters, the only other occupant being the experienced healer.

"So I am." Jia replied back, in case it wasn't immediately apparent he was conscious. "You had us quite concerned, you may not have noticed in your state but our healing magic doesn't entirely work on you." Manuela explained, taking a seat on the bed, near Jia's feet. He paused for a moment to think. "You know our secret, could it simply be us being from another realm?" He asked, thinking it was the most logical reason. Manuela shook her head. "It works fine on Magoichi." She explained.

Jia hummed, racking his brain. "I do not recall Mago getting injured..." He trailed off, hoping for Manuela to fill in the blanks. "Not seriously." She stated frankly, though the slight pinkness of her cheeks revealed more than she would say. Jia could not hold back a laugh at the woman's embarrassment. It did not last long as pain prevented him from continuing with the act. "Serves you right." Manuela admonished lightly before producing a small vial of grassy looking powder. "Put a pinch of this in your drink, it should ease any pain." She explained, handing the vial to Jia who placed it on the nearest surface to him. "And no wine for now." She warned, giving him a look that meant there would be no negotiations.

Jia nodded, deciding not to push his luck or Manuela any further.

It was early afternoon and the rearguard's marching route took them through a lightly forested area. Magoichi spurred his horse to ride by the side of Catherine. Some looked at the motion and readied to pull the two apart but they did not need to fear. "Hey." Magoichi said, getting the knight's attention. She seemed hesitant to look him in the eye but responded with a nod, indicating she had heard him. "This route seems good for an ambush" He warned, with an army on the loose even a little cover was cause to be worried as far as Magoichi was concerned.

This made Catherine look him in the eye. "Lonato is well-known for his dislike of cheap tactics." Catherine explained, causing Magoichi to sigh. He would be the first to admit that he was not a great tactician, but he knew how to launch surprise attacks better than most. "If he's not working alone..." He let his words hang in the air.

Almost as if on cue, the trees began to vanish around them. A dense fog was flooding the area. Catherine jumped from her horse, grabbing her weapon. Magoichi did so a moment later, his unasked question of if such weather changes were normal here no longer needing an answer. Unlike Catherine however he did not advance, he backed away until he was united with Hanneman and Byleth. The three teachers needed no words and each set off to round-up their respective houses.

Magoichi found his students, who were all still mounted though wore concerned expressions at the appearance of the fog. "What's the plan teach?" Claude asked on seeing Magoichi appear. "As fast as you can, ready for battle." The sharpshooter ordered, and all but Leonie dismounted. He had to give the kids some credit, they might have been new to war but they organised their units faster than he would have expected.

The four Golden Deer members waited for further instructions. "We're almost definitely being attacked by an enemy force." Magoichi explained aloud. "We can guess who, we don't know how many and because of this fog we don't know where." Though the situation was unfavourable, Magoichi's voice oozed with confidence. "I'll be leading the Golden Deer and I need you to follow this one basic order for the coming engagement." He paused for a moment as the Blue Lions began to march past them in what appeared to be a loose crescent formation. He returned his attention to the Deer. "Make sure you can see me at all times, in this fog that means a lot more than usual." He finished his command and shouldered his rifle.

He pointed at the now vanishing form of the Blue Lions. "We're gonna provide them support for this battle, seeing as we're the smallest of battalions." He explained and began to walk towards where the Lions had gone. The Deer marched their units behind him like a real army. He briefly thought he should begin treating them as such, the coming battle would ultimately decide that in his eyes.

Magoichi took up a position just East of the Blue Lions. Felix the aspiring swordsman and Annette a sorcerer as far as Magoichi was aware were the closest Lions to them. The Golden Deer positioned themselves naturally with Raphael and Leonie at the front ready to advance, Ignatz and Claude behind them to provide long-range support.

A tense minute past, which for those who had not seen real combat felt like an age. A clash of steel could be heard to the West, Magoichi had to assume it was Catherine and her knights. He wanted to lead a cautionary advance, but the risk of the students being ambushed were too great.

A solution arrived from the up and coming swordsman, who tossed an unlit torch to Magoichi. "Hanneman sent this down." He stated simply. It was a good thing Magoichi only needed one hand to use his weapon. He held the torch out and Annette helpfully set the top aflame. "Remember what I said kids." Magoichi said loudly and began to advance. The deer let him get a few paces away before following him, keeping an eye on the sharpshooter. Felix and Annette followed too, Magoichi didn't want to prevent it but he had to wonder if they were following a command from Hanneman or not.

"Lord Lonato doesn't deserve such sadness and anger... Now it's your turn to suffer!" A voice called from the fog, giving away a man's position. Magoichi brought his rifle up across his chest in preparation for a blow. A sword bounced off his weapon and Magoichi slashed up and to the left, ending the man's life in one blow. Magoichi looked at the fallen foe and sighed. "These aren't soldiers." He lamented. This was going to be a long fight.

The day had progressed painfully slow for Jia as he spent it confined to his bed. The one time he chanced to get up he was immediately intruded upon by Manuela and scolded thoroughly. He had yet to attempt again. There was a knock on his door and Jia sat up in place. "Come in." He said, waiting patiently.

The door opened and in stepped Dorothea. Jia couldn't help but let a smile appear. Her arrival was unexpected but welcome. "It's good to see you." He said in earnest. She said nothing in return, only approaching him. She crouched slightly before wrapping her arms around him and giving an affectionate squeeze. Manuela's concoction must have done wonders as he suffered little from the action. After a moment she released him and Jia let out a breath he did not realise he was holding.

"Don't do that again." She chastised him. Her eyes slightly damp with the threat of tears. "It is a mistake I intend to never repeat." He offered. Dorothea quickly dried her eyes and seemed to perk up at his response. "I'm going to hold you to that Jia." She said, the sound of his name coming from her feeling odd. "I can get some tea, if you want some company?" She asked, lightening the mood. "Sounds wonderful." He answered. A smile appeared on her face, the sorrowful subject now a memory and little more.

She walked to the back of the room and rummaged under the desk for a moment. She found what she was looking for in the form of a small table, though it looks more like a stool. After a gesture indicating she would be gone for only a moment, she left the room.

She quickly re-appeared this time with a tray. On the tray were two cups, pure white in colour and decorated with images of flowers of varying colours. A teapot that shared its décor with the cups and seemed recently brewed as steam was escaping its spout. Lastly a plate containing a few small cakes, all looking sickly sweet.

She walked over to the small table in the centre of the room and placed the tray atop it. She waved Jia over to which his response was a cautious look at the door. With no indication of Manuela being near, he got out of the bed. Before walking over to Dorothea and the tea, he took a moment to stretch his arms and back. After a few clicks from joints he had not used for days he was satisfied. His gaze locked onto Dorothea and the treats, he noticed that she had kept her eyes on him the entire time. It took all of his effort to not tease the girl.

He took the few steps over to the table, and sat cross-legged opposite the girl. Dorothea gently picked up the teapot and began to carefully pour the two cups with the freshly brewed tea. It took a moment but not long after his cup was filled, the smell wafted up into his nostrils. The scent reminded him of walking through orchards just before picking was due to begin. "It tastes even better." His companion recommended, as she picked up her cup. She delicately brought it to her lips and took a small sip. Jia almost forgot that was the point of tea and soon mimicked the action. The tea had more than a hint of apple in its flavour and Jia would happily admit that it was just the right amount of sweetness.

After his first sip, his companion began to talk. "So, your new choice in colour was the talk of Garreg Mach after the buzz around your duel died down." She said making conversation. "Was it? I did think it looked off on me." He revealed with a self-deprecating chuckle. She did not need to know it was because of how much it seemed like a slap in the face to his lord. "Oh quite the opposite, Edie couldn't stop singing your praises for trying to fit in." She clarified. Jia couldn't help but feel she was exaggerating, at least to a degree. "Things really must have been dull for that to dominate discussions." Jia said and Dorothea nodded in agreement. "Honestly it was otherwise just getting ready for the order to march." She admitted, prompting Jia to ask a question that had been bugging him. "On that matter, why did you stay behind?" He raised a brow. "I would have been too distracted, Manuela told me there's nothing worse than that in battle." She confessed. Jia could think of half a dozen worse things but decided to keep silent on the matter.

"I hope Edie and the others are alright." She said softly, looking to Jia for reassurance. "They're with competent leaders and warriors, they'll be more than alright." Jia reassured, not even having to contemplate the outcome.

The fog began to lift, and Magoichi quickly scanned for the rest of the enemy. His eyes focused on several banner-men who stood near an elderly warrior. The warrior was garbed in full plate and was mounted on an intimidating warhorse. "The fog has cleared. There's nothing left to hide you or the filthy Central Church from the judgement of the goddess!" The man decreed and Magoichi assumed this was Lord Lonato.

Magoichi desperately wanted to make a beeline to the old man but knew better. If he did so he had no doubts the students he was in command of would follow and he did not want any major injuries due to his desire of a swift end to the conflict.

It appeared that Byleth had no such qualms as she made straight for the old warrior, Catherine doing the same. Each were followed by those they led, the knights with Catherine and Black Eagles with Byleth.

"Teach!" Claude's voice called, snapping Magoichi's attention away from the charge taking place. Claude had good reason to call him, as seemingly out of nowhere a handful of enemies were approaching. Magoichi could not help but let out a tut is disapproval. He disliked having to fight peasants however, his hands were tied in this instance. "Mop up any that make it past me, spare anyone who surrenders." Magoichi ordered with a sigh.

Magoichi dashed in order to put himself between the newly arrived peasants and his students. He could have allowed the Deer to deal with them with minimal risk but he had decided early on to avoid having innocent deaths on the hands of the students if he could help it. "This is your one chance to back down." He demanded and unsurprisingly he got no response.

Half a dozen peasants swung their blades at Magoichi, who in one fluid motion back-stepped and levelled his rifle. 'Poor bastards' He couldn't help but think as he squeezed the trigger again and again, each shot finding its mark. The peasants fell and showed no signs of getting back up. Still the remaining enemies showed no signs of backing down.

"You! I will be the one to kill you, no other!" He heard the old warrior bellow. Mercifully it had the effect of causing the peasants to stop their assault at least for a moment. Looks of worry graced many a face as they seemed concerned for their lord. A slight rumbling and soon the sight of horsemen with Leonie at the front came into view, the remaining peasants retreating from the force the unit charged with. She stopped a few feet from where the peasants once stood fast.

Magoichi couldn't help but allow himself to smile. "Smart." He acknowledged, he would not have thought to do such a thing at least not on the fly. Leonie just gave a salute while grinning ear to ear at the praise.

The Deer held their position and watched the commanders fighting from some distance. Officially Magoichi had told them they were watching for any reinforcements, though no one believed the tale.

Catherine was demonstrating that she was the much faster fighter, dodging attacks left and right. The old man was putting up quite a fight too considering, though one had to wonder if he would have faired so well if he was not atop his warhorse.

Suddenly a pitch black sphere of magic hit Lonato in the side, knocking him from atop his steed. Hubert, the dark haired boy was the culprit. He received a few looks in disapproval. "So much for an honourable duel." Felix muttered, loud enough for Magoichi and the Deer to hear him. Magoichi simply rolled his eyes in response.

Earlier suspicions seemed to be correct, as with her foe dismounted it took only a few clashes before Lonato fell to Catherine's sword. Those with any fight left in them lost the will to continue at the sight, causing many to flee or simply drop their weapons. Everyone was in silent agreement to not pursue.

With the battle somewhat behind them, the four leaders gathered together. Most notably away from the remnants of the battlefield. "Well done everyone, no one got hurt." Catherine congratulated. "Right, we are most fortunate in that sense." Hanneman agreed. Magoichi decided to hold his tongue. Byleth also did not comment but he could not be certain if it was for similar reasons. "Gather up the troops and let's head home." She declared with a grin and Magoichi prepared for a glum march back to Garreg Mach.

Leonie was in the middle of conversing with Caspar when he returned to the students. "It still seems so pointless." Caspar lamented. Leonie simply rested her hand on his shoulder in sympathy. "Well we're getting a move on, the more distance we put between us and the battlefield the better." Magoichi announced, causing the pair to flinch slightly. He raised his hand in an apologetic gesture and went to gather the rest of the Deer.

Soon the students and troops were gathered and the long march was about to begin in earnest. "Magoichi." Byleth's voice called and he got the sudden sense of déjà vu . He looked at her and she waved him over. He followed her and was led to Catherine and Hanneman. "What is it this time." He said with a sigh. Catherine produced a sealed scroll. "I found this on Lord Lonato. It's a note that mentions a plan to assassinate Lady Rhea." She surmised, a serious look on her face. "We can't tell who sent it, so the source is suspect, but the content is too disturbing to ignore. We must report this to Lady Rhea right away. I hope that it's nothing..." She trailed off.

Magoichi stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. "That's a little too convenient." He said, earning a nod from Byleth. Catherine tucked the scroll away. "It doesn't change the current situation, it's just best we all know of the threat." She explained and everyone silently agreed before returning to their students. The march began in earnest and the mood took a while to lighten up.

Two days later and they found themselves at the gates of Garreg Mach. The students split off in different directions, wishing to visit friends or even simply sleep in a bed once again. Magoichi was fortunate enough to have someone waiting for him at the gates. The moment he dismounted he was approached by none other than Manuela, who game him a light but affectionate hug. "Welcome back dear, is everyone alright?" She asked. "Of course they are, I was with them." He said, not allowing the toll of fighting peasants to take away his usual confidence. "Jia woken up yet?" He asked moving on and Manuela nodded. A grin spread across his face. "I'll have to see him after the report to Rhea then." He announced. Manuela pouted. "Alright, but after I expect to hear everything that happened." She demanded playfully earning a chuckle from the sharpshooter. "Sure." He agreed before heading off the Rhea's audience chamber.

Magoichi joined Byleth and Hanneman in Rhea's chamber. As usual Seteth stood by Rhea's side. It felt like his presence was entirely unwanted however, as Rhea addressed Byleth alone. "I am glad to see that you have returned safely. The goddess is gracious with her divine protection. But it was not only her divine protection that shielded you, was it? You are just as skilled as I had hoped." She praised the former mercenary, positively glowing as she spoke. "My students deserve the praise." Byleth deflected in that usual monotone of hers. "I am not so sure." Rhea countered, she seemed adamant that Byleth was the main reason for their victory.

"I heard some of the students were... Hesitant about fighting militia. However, we must punish any sinner who may inflict harm upon believers, even if those sinners are civilians." Rhea explained, causing Magoichi to grit his teeth. "I pray the students learned a valuable lesson about the fate that awaits all who are foolish enough to point their blades towards the heavens." Rhea warned, causing Magoichi to struggle suppressing a feeling of rage bubbling inside of him. "Our real concern is what Catherine reported. The secret message that was in Lord Lonato's possession. It contained a deplorable plot to target the archbishop on the day of the Goddess's Rite of Rebirth. The plan seems unrealistic at best... But a threat is a threat. We must maintain constant vigilance. To that end, I would like for you and your students to help with security on the day of the ritual." Seteth explained. Magoichi was about to speak up when Byleth beat him to the punch. "Won't that endanger the students?" She asked in his stead. "Even if they encounter an enemy whom they cannot best, they should be fine so long as they have you on their side." She reassured them.

Magoichi turned and left the chamber while Seteth explained the ritual that was to take place. He was done with the pair for now, having seen Rhea in a new beam of light. He went to find Jia and share what the strategist had missed for the last weeks, with luck Manuela would be there too.

Magoichi arrived at Jia's quarters and stood their in silence for a moment. He could hear a girlish voice on the other side. He was fairly sure if Jia did not want to be disturbed he'd be simply turned away and so knocked regardless of the apparent company. The girl stopped talking. "Come in." Jia's voice answered and Magoichi entered.

Inside both Jia and Lysithea stood in front of the desk, a large piece of paper covering it. "Ah Mago, glad you're safe." Jia said with glee. "That's what I'm supposed to say..." Magoichi trailed off with a sigh. "Would you like to start again?" Jia asked with a chuckle, Magoichi waving off the comment. His focus then turned to Lysithea, the youngest student in the Golden Deer house. "And what are you doing here?" He asked. "I wanted feedback from our assignments, it was taking a while." The girl explained. "I had good cause too, Professor Jia admitted he forgot about them." She said, shooting Jia a glare.

"Hence the impromptu lesson." Jia defended himself, gesturing to the paper spread across the desk. It showed a map, dominated by forest. Atop it were a few small blocks of wood. "I don't have access to my usual pieces but they do just as well." Jia explained holding one of the blocks up. "Cavalry." Was written underneath the held piece. Magoichi nodded in understanding. "Lysithea here shows an aptitude for strategy, be careful before I ask Byleth to poach her." Jia warned Magoichi playfully. "You can try, Manuela's the one who'll you'll be up against. She adores all of her students too much to let them go." Magoichi challenged back. The pair shared a laugh. Lysithea lowered her head in an attempt to hide the embarrassment tinting her cheeks.

The laughter subsided and Magoichi once more focused on the student. "Sorry for cutting your lesson short, but I need to catch up with Jia." He explained and with surprising maturity Lysithea nodded. "Okay, I will come by another time Professor." She said before waving a goodbye, leaving the two friends alone. Magoichi then proceeded to explain to Jia what had happened during the battle and the following meeting in Rhea's audience chamber.

Jia placed a hand on his chin in thought, dwelling on what Magoichi had said. "A secret message that was easily found detailing a plot to murder such an important figure." He voiced his train of thought before shaking his head. "It is not a very sophisticated plot, if anything it means we know the time they will attempt to achieve their real goal." Jia explained and Magoichi nodded, that was essentially what the teachers had already surmised.

"So that leaves it to us to find the true target." Jia said with a sigh. "If I knew more of this place I'm sure it could be deduced, I'm afraid we will need assistance from the students this time." Jia explained, though Magoichi seemed unwilling to agree. Jia raised a brow in question. "Can't we give them a bit of a break?" Magoichi asked, earning a grin from Jia. "This ritual is a month away, no need to focus on it immediately." Jia assured him, making Magoichi more willing to agree.

A woman cleared her throat, making the two look to the doorway. Lysithea had apparently left it open.

In the doorway stood none other than Catherine, still wearing her armour and Thunderbrand hanging from her hip. Magoichi's hand fingered the butt of his rifle on instinct, ready to draw it. "Hey..." She said, lacking her usual good cheer.

"Good to see you also made it back in once piece, Lady Catherine." Jia greeted with a bow. This earned a questioning look from Magoichi. Even Catherine seemed a little confused from the response. "Did you need something?" Jia asked and Catherine sighed in response. "Listen I'm not very good at this." She started, taking a deep breath as if to calm herself. "I need to apologise to you, I know that so here I am." She said, trying to look anywhere but at Jia himself.

Jia looked at her with an unreadable expression for a moment, before he let out a laugh in amusement.


	7. The Goddess's Right of Rebirth

Jia's laughter subsided and Catherine shot him a curious look. "Your apology is appreciated, but it was not a necessity." Jia explained, waving away the warrior's words. "She is the reason you were out of commission for over a week." Magoichi felt compelled to point out. "True, but no one seems to believe it was a malicious act." Jia reassured, though Magoichi remained unconvinced.

"So we're good?" Catherine asked, tilting her head slightly. "We're good." Jia parroted with a nod of his head. Catherine let a smile show, it seemed like the incident had been weighing on her at least a little. After a quick exchange of farewells Catherine left the duo to themselves.

"Could've made her sweat a little." Magoichi chimed in earning a chuckle from Jia. "Maybe, though I'm not certain how she'd react to that." Jia explained, beginning to roll up the map he had placed on his desk. "Now I'm fairly sure you have someone else to catch-up with." Jia teased in a friendly manner, pointing to the door. Magoichi did not need more encouragement than that and promptly left after a goodbye.

A few days passed and Jia was finally given the go ahead to leave his room if he so wished. As much as he wanted to spend the time in the light of the day, he instead needed to respond to a summons from Lady Rhea.

Jia stood outside Rhea's private chambers, an odd place to be asked to meet but Jia obliged none the less. A few moments later and the door cracked open. Odd as it was, Jia took it as a sign to enter. "How are we feeling today, Jia?" Rhea's voice sung after the door shut behind him. "Well enough, do I need to ask why you called me here?" Jia asked, briefly scanning the room. Apart from the grandiose looking bed, it seemed her quarters were in line with others in Garreg Mach.

"What I am about to reveal must remain between us two, for the time being at least." Rhea explained earning a questioning look from Jia. A moment went by. "Very well, I understand." Jia responded, curiosity eating away at him. "Good, I believe we have located a previously undiscovered Dragongate." Rhea announced and Jia had to rack his brain. "Dragongate, you mentioned that when we first met correct?" Jia asked, earning a nod for Rhea. "Indeed, they contain the power to traverse different worlds and even time itself in some cases." Rhea elaborated. "Though as I said before, those in Fódlan have long since been dormant." She admitted. "And you believe this new Dragongate could be a way for Magoichi and I to return home?" Jia asked. "That is correct." She affirmed.

A grin spread across Jia's lips. "So, when do you want us to investigate?" He asked and Rhea smiled in return. "As soon as you are able, I have a handful of knights reserved to accompany you." She offered to which Jia shook his head. "No need, you will no doubt need them to help deal with your current circumstances. Magoichi and I can deal with it alone." He assured her. "That is a most kind offer, but with the aid of these few I predict you will all return before the night of the ritual." Rhea explained and Jia had no way of countering such a point. "Then let your chosen knights know we will leave tomorrow, I've a class to teach this afternoon." He informed her before offering a bow. He left her chambers and went to find Magoichi.

Rather surprisingly he found Magoichi at the Training Grounds, giving advice to Leonie on how to aim a bow. "If Yuan could see you right now." Jia said, causing the Sharpshooter to jump out of his concentration. Leonie let her arrow loose, straying wide from the mark. She looked at the two with obvious annoyance. Jia simply smirked at the pair as Magoichi offered his apologies to the young warrior.

"Nothing wrong with showing someone how to aim you know." Magoichi stated calmly as he approached Jia, the pair leaving Leonie to practice solo for a moment. "Oh of course, though I'm sure Yuan would still want me to give you some grief." Jia teased and to his credit Magoichi did not react. "What did you need Jia?" He asked, evidently in no mood to join in Jia's jests. Jia chose not to question that, though did make a mental note of it. "We might have a lead to get us home." Jia all but whispered, his friend leaning in to catch what he said. "Alright, where, when and how?" Magoichi asked. "The how is unknown, where and when will be tomorrow morning. Rhea gave me a location to investigate." Jia explained, Magoichi nodded in understanding. "Just us?" He inquired and Jia shook his head. "Rhea insists we take a few knights with us." Jia admitted causing Magoichi to raise a brow in question.

"Make no mistake, we could handle it ourselves I have no doubt." Jia confessed, examining Magoichi's response. His look remained unchanged, waiting for Jia to elaborate. "It would seem Rhea wants to keep tabs on us Mago, despite the apparent lack in knights to protect her." Jia finished, earning a shrug from Magoichi. "So what? We're not doing anything to harm them." The sharpshooter said earning a chuckle from Jia. "No we're not, still to be so distrusted means Rhea's suspicious of someone." He elaborated earning a snort from Magoichi. "Someone in charge is worried of plots and ploys, I'm shocked Jia." He stated without shock.

Jia merely rolled his eyes. "Just be mindful Mago, she was not so overtly cautious before." Jia cautioned and Magoichi nodded. "Yeah sure, I'm going to work with Leonie a bit more." He excused himself, leaving Jia alone for a moment. Magoichi was already adjusting Leonie's stance before Jia left to prepare to teach himself.

The afternoon rolled around fast and Jia found himself stood in front of the Blue Lion house. Professor Hanneman had readily agreed to allow Jia to teach them and even excused himself away to not hinder Jia's authority, or at least that was the story the old man had given.

"Hanneman's notes tell me you already know the basics of strategy?" Jia asked, earning a chorus of affirmation from the students. "Good, then today let us explore formations." Jia said in good cheer. Most of the class gave the effort to at least appear interested.

Jia turned away from the class and began to write on the blackboard. Three words were written in a triangle, arrows pointing from one to another. "Arrow, Crescent, Wheel. You can not get more simple than these." Jia explained before pointing towards the word Arrow. "Arrow formation, named so for the arrowhead shape the unit forms." He explained, eyes scanning the students. He settled on the archer, Ashe. "Tell me, what would be the best use of such a formation?" He asked and the boy seemed startled. It lasted for only a moment as he began to answer. "Its not my strong-point, but I assume for charging through the enemy sir?" He asked unsure of himself. Jia smiled and nodded. "That is the most basic way of using it yes, thank you Ashe." Jia commended, and the boy seemed pleased with himself.

"With the information just learned, who wants to tell me about the other two formations?" He asked the room, earning silence. "Sorry professor, but we've not heard of these formations before." Dimitri broke the silence with his apology. Jia waved it away. "Then using what Ashe and I have said about the Arrow formation, deduce what the others may be." Jia encouraged, eyes scanning the room once more. Mercedes cautiously raised her hand and Jia pointed at her. "The wheel would be a round shape, like a wheel?" She asked cautiously, earning a nod from Jia. "I don't know why you would want to do that though." She admitted shyly.

"Understandable, The wheel formation is taken by multiple units as opposed to one." Jia explained, drawing a circle out of dashes. "When in the wheel formation, it is possible to quickly rotate units in and out of combat, keeping fresh troops in the fighting and allowing crucial moments of respite for fatigued units." He finished his explanation and scanned the room once more. "Right, so crescent must be shaped like a crescent then, how's that useful?" Sylvain asked, his boredom apparent.

"Yes that is correct." He acknowledged Sylvain with a nod and began drawing yet another diagram. This time a simply line was drawn. "I suppose it doubles up as a tactic too." He said with a chuckle as he drew a block representing an enemy unit. "You wait until the enemy is engaged, and then the centre of the formation retreats." Jia drew another picture, this time the line had become more crescent shaped. "The flanks stay where they are and then." He clicked his finger, drawing a final diagram with the enemy unit encircled. "Of course this formation gets its name from the middle stage." Jia finished his explanation.

"Professor, would it be possible to teach us something more advanced?" Dimitri asked, his notes seemingly full. Jia scratched the top of his head for a moment in thought, earning a giggle from Annette. "I suppose." Jia answered, still thinking what he could teach the students that could be considered advanced but they would still understand.

A flash of inspiration gripped him, and Jia erased the notes he currently had written on the blackboard. "The Eight Gates Formation." Jia announced, earning curious glances from even the most disinterested. "A defensive formation, impossible to beat except by those who know of it." Jia explained as he began to draw on the blackboard. This drawing took a bit more time as he drew several units onto the board, with just enough space between them to make what looked like a maze. "And the commander goes here." Jia said idly as he marked a spot in the centre with an X.

"Now, can anyone guess as to why this formation is so hard to best?" He asked the class, getting nothing but the shaking of heads. "The formation constantly moves, changing the path and forcing the aggressor to fight constantly. Not to mention if you chose the wrong gate it is impossible to reach the commander." Jia finished his explanation and realisation dawned on Dimitri. "The opponent will keep fighting until they surrender or die." The prince thought allowed earning a nod from the professor. "Correct." Jia commended the prince.

Felix cleared his throat. "You implied people could beat it?" The swordsmen asked, reminding Jia of the rest of his lesson. "Right, right. The formation is names 'Eight Gates' so there are eight gates, one of these is the gate of life. Find that and the formation all but crumbles." Jia explained and Felix huffed. "How do you find that?" He asked further. "It is usually to the right of the gate of death, you can recognise that as the entry the enemy is usually coaxing you towards." Jia explained as he lightly stroked his chin. "Of course you might need a decent strategist to examine the formation personally, every one is organised at least slightly different." Jia noted and opened the class to questions.

The questions ranged from simple all the way to nonsensical, though Jia was able to answer then all to varying degrees. The class eventually came to an end allowing Jia to make his get away, though not before receiving a quick word of gratitude from the Blue Lions leader.

Evening had come and Jia was in the dining hall with the other members of faculty, enjoying a fish pie for dinner. Rather, Jia was enjoying a fish pie for dinner as the other teachers were deep in conversation. "Nope, I'm telling you Marianne would be a lovely companion for our dear Jia." Manuela challenged, the strategist doing his utmost to tune out the conversation. "And as I said Manuela, Ingrid is much more in line with Jia's tastes. At least as far as our mutual friend has led me to believe." Hanneman chimed in, pointing an accusing finger at Magoichi who simply smirked in response.

"Dorothea." Byleth said simply, causing the others to look at her as if they had not noticed her before now. "Well, I see only one solution to this argument." Magoichi began, stealing everyone's attention. "You date all three and choose who you're most compatible with." Magoichi challenge, pointing a finger at Jia. The Strategist in question was mid bite, and slowly swallowed his food. "Sounds like an amusing game for you, I refuse." He denied, going back to his meal. "Oh, and it sounded like a fun idea too, getting to play matchmaker and all." Manuela lamented, earning a roll of Jia's eyes. "Now now, we can not force the man." Hanneman said. Byleth remained quiet and it was hard to determine her thoughts on the matter.

"Hmm, come to think of it how is Edelgard doing?" Jia asked Byleth, the other teachers looking at the former mercenary with curiosity. "Fine." She answered earning a chuckle from Jia. "Has she confided in you who her crush is?" Jia proved further, earning a questioning look from the youngest teacher. "No, why?" She asked back. Jia placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "You're her teacher, it would be natural she holds you in confidence." He explained, not wanting to reveal the empress in waiting's feelings to the oblivious mercenary.

"Well, it is late and I've had my fill." Jia announced, rising to his feet. "Do take care without our assistance." Jia said in farewell as he bowed to the table. He could faintly make out assurances of well being as he left.

It was dark when Jia was making his way back to his quarters, as much as he would have savoured a stroll in moonlight he needed to get some rest for the morning. At least that was until he got distracted by sound of a woman muttering in fear. Jia could not make out the words, but something was certainly being said. Jia peeled off from his usual path and closed in on a section of the student dorms. "Agh... Who's there?!" The familiar voice of Edelgard asked in fear as she poked her head from her dorm. "Professor, what are you doing here?" She asked, calmer now though a layer of sweat could be seen along her forehead. "Apologies, I heard something and chose to investigate." Jia explained himself, showing his empty hands in an attempt to ease any tension.

"Oh? Perhaps I was talking in my sleep..." Edelgard explained to herself, almost forgetting Jia was even there. "Sounded like a nightmare Edie." Jia used the nickname in an attempt to soothe her. "Yes... Silly things I can't control." She confessed and Jia wanted desperately to offer her some comfort, though he knew he could not. "I understand, I can't offer much but I do have an ear to lend." Jia offered.

"No. They're just worthless dreams of the past. Talking about it won't change a thing." She confessed, shaking her head. "I suppose some people feel that way." Jia noted with a nod and was about to drop the issue. "But I must admit you have my curiosity..." Jia trailed off trying to think of a way to get Edelgard to share her burden. She let out a sigh. "Maybe I can trust you with this..." She said softly, and Jia's ears perked up.

Edelgard took a deep breath to steel herself for the sharing of her tale. "I dream of...my older brother, paralyzed, helpless..." She paused for a minute, turning to look away from Jia. "My older sister crying for help that never came... the youngest babbling words beyond meaning. I see my family dying slowly, waiting in the darkest depths for a glimmer of light." She made a point to look him in the eyes, her own obviously damp. "I once had ten siblings, eight older and two younger. Such a large family, and yet I became the heir to the throne. Do you know why?" Edelgard did not pause for an answer. "Every last one of them was crippled by disease or lost their mind or died. I was the only one left who could inherit the throne." She finished, earning Jia's silence at least for a moment.

"That is, an awful thing to have suffered through." Jia said, knowing it was an obvious thing to say but desperately needing to acknowledge the girls tale. "Things kept getting worse." Edelgard responded. "The darkness kept getting darker. In the end, I was the only one who survived." She looked away from him again. "The nightmares are a reminder...to never forget. To never allow such terrible things to happen again." She finished once more. Jia placed a hand on her shoulder causing her flinch at the sudden sensation. "There are more people than not who would see such a goal to fruition." He said as if swearing an oath to Cao Cao, causing Edelgard to smile if only a little. "Being so serious does not suit you Jia." She admonished lightly. Jia merely rolled his eyes in response.

"I've only ever told one person this before, I'd appreciate if you forget it." Edelgard commanded, all airs of friendliness gone. "But of course, I promise." Jia acknowledged and Edelgard was set to retire for the night. "Good night, Edelgard." Jia said with a bow before setting off to his own quarters for the night.

Morning came and Jia was at the main gate with a group of four Knights. Each of them looked green to Jia but he had been surprised before. "What's taking the idiot so long..." One of the knight said under his breath, earning a whack on the helmet from Jia's staff. "Careful now." He warned with a smile, the whack did little but irritate the man but Jia needed to do something in retaliation.

"Hey!" The Sharpshooter's voice rang as he came into view, holding a hand up in greeting. "Let's get moving then." Another knight spoke, prompting Jia to shake his head. "Let us make this clear now shall we, I'll be giving the orders until we return to Garreg Mach." He explained to the knights and though some looked willing to challenge him no one did. 'Too easy, primary goal must be to observe...' Jia thought to himself.

The group left the monastery on foot, as the trek would take them through some dangerously thick forest. "Wait!" A feminine voice called from behind, prompting the small group to stop. The voice belonged to none-other than the pink haired merchant that had provided Jia with his new attire. "Anna?" Jia asked with a raised brow and the merchant stood to attention and offered a salute. "Yup! I'll be coming with you!" She declared all full of cheer. "Do you know something I don't?" Magoichi asked the merchant, who covered the sharpshooter's ear to whisper something.

What happened as a result was Magoichi mimicking the action only Jia provided the ear. "She's coming." He said and Jia saw no reason to argue with his friend. "Do you need a weapon?" He asked, earning a shake of the head as the woman produced a jagged sword. He'd seen one once before in a book, a Levin sword. Jia nodded in satisfaction. "Alright, onwards!" He declared as the trio of himself, Magoichi and Anna took to the front of the group.

It took the best part of the day for the group to arrive at the alleged Dragongate and it was easy to see why such a location had been lost. Buried amongst the trees covered completely in moss was a large arch. Magoichi let out a whistle at the sight of it. "Is this it?" He asked the group, earning blank stares from the knights. Anna however stood beside the structure and tapped it three times with her knuckle. It made a solid stone noise. "Yup! This is it." Anna announced and Jia couldn't help but me amazed. "And how do you know that?" He asked, curiosity getting the better of him. Anna simply tapped her nose. "Trade secret!" She declared and everyone would have to settle for that.

"So, how do we find out where it goes?" Magoichi asked the merchant and she mimed being in thought. "Tricky..." She mused, though no one seemed to but the act. "Oh fine, we just need the key!" She explained, still carrying the same enthusiasm as before. "And how do we find that?" Magoichi pressed. "First thing's first, we need to find out what it is." She explained, placing her knapsack on the ground and opening it to reveal brushes of varying size. "Grab a tool and start cleaning!" She ordered, and though the knights protested they obliged.

Daylight quickly began to fade and the group left the gate only a quarter cleaned. "I'm beat." Anna declared, sitting on the ground a few paces from the gate. "Oh good, let us stop for today." Jia agreed with Anna, taking a seat beside her. "We didn't bring any tents." One of the knights stated, looking at the darkened sky. "What, don't wanna rough it for a night?" Magoichi joked, giving the knight a slap on the shoulder. "I-idiot! Monsters roam at night." The knight cautioned, earning a questioning glance from both Jia and Magoichi. "That's what you're here for no?" The merchant asked innocently as she lay down, closing her eyes.

Jia jumped aboard Anna's question. "True, I was wondering why Rhea would offer us so much protection." Jia announced innocently. He swore he could see a few scowls forming. "Alright, you four take night-watch" Magoichi commanded, and the knights scattered around the gate, sorting out their own patrol patterns.

Morning came and despite the lack of tents or beds the trio managed to sleep well. A yawn escaped from Anna as she looked around the site. "Where'd the knights go?" She asked groggily and after a quick look around Jia could not spot them either. "They went home." Magoichi revealed, handing a scrap of paper to the strategist. The writing was crude but the message was clear. The knights had declared they fulfilled their mission and decided to leave the three of them to the gate. "Great." Jia mumbled as he got to his feet. "As annoying as being observed was, more hands would have made this easier." Jia explained, tucking the note away.

"Well, now the Seiros guys are gone I can speed things up." Anna declared with a smile. "Does your cheer never diminish?" Jia could not help but ask, earning a raspberry from the merchant. "Just stand clear." She warned and the pair of men retreated a good distance. Anna lifted her sword above her head and swung down, connecting with the gate. A split second later and a bolt of lightning hit the structure, burning away the remaining moss. Magoichi and Jia were gobsmacked.

Jia recovered first. "Why would you not do that sooner?" He asked surprisingly calmly. Anna stuck a finger on her chin in an attempt to look innocent. "Not many people can do that and I don't want to be conscripted into the knights." She explained and Jia felt no reason to question it. Who wouldn't want someone with that power in their army after all.

With the question answered, Anna started to examine the gate in great detail. Jia wished he could help but honestly had no idea what Anna was looking for, if she even was. "Ah-ha!" She exclaimed and beckoned the pair over. She was soon flanked by both Magoichi and Jia who looked at where she was pointing. It was a small indent, though the shape was hard to determine. "That is where the key goes." Anna helpfully explained. "But what is the key?" Magoichi asked and a moment of silence passed between the trio. "No idea." She said with a shrug and the two men simply sighed. "I see, thank you for getting us this far at least Anna." Jia said, Magoichi nodding in agreement.

Anna waved away the thank you. "Thank me when we crack this gate open, maybe Lady Rhea will know what the key is?" She mused aloud. "One way to find out right Jia?" Magoichi asked, receiving a nod. The trio made their way back to Garreg Mach.

Anna quickly left to go tend her stall once the returned leaving Magoichi and Jia to themselves. "You okay handling Rhea?" Magoichi asked to which Jia nodded. "Of course, now go rejoin Manuela, your pining is making me uneasy." Jia teased his friend, who simply laughed as he walked off. Jia made the trip to Rhea's audience chamber.

Once Rhea knew Jia had arrived she ordered him straight to her chambers, where the strategist now dutifully waited. 'Oh the scandal I could cause' Jia thought with a grin as he awaited his host. Rhea entered and quickly closed the door behind her. "So, you found the gate?" She asked, not wasting time. "We did, it is very inactive." Jia informed her, causing the holy woman to frown. "That is a shame." She said, looking at the floor. "We did however, find an indentation on it... Would you know what that is?" He probed, deciding to leave out Anna's involvement.

Rhea seemed to perk up. "That is likely where one presents the key to open it. Sadly such items have been lost to the church for some time." She explained. "A shame, I suppose that is a bust then." Jia deduced and Rhea seemed to agree. "If any news should reach my ears concerning Dragongates or keys, I will endeavour to let you know." Rhea promised and Jia bowed in farewell, leaving the holy woman to herself.

The night of the Rite came far too quickly for anyone's liking and the Black Eagle house entered the mausoleum, rounding up Jia on the way. Whoever chose that spot to guard deserved some recognition as it was already filled with brigands galore. Most noticeably however was a mounted man in pitch black armour who looked like death himself. Jia locked eyes with the man for a brief moment and felt a shiver ascend his spine. That was feeling he had only gotten twice previously, once when looking into Lu Bu's eyes and the other when the Hydra first appeared to ravage the land. "Steel yourselves." He heard Byleth command and Jia took a breath, he had outlived Lu Bu and the Hydra had proven it could be slain. This was nothing.

"Those Central Church dastards have spotted us... Buy me some time while I open the seal on the casket!" A masked man commanded and Jia was surprised the knight was not in charge of the battle. "Death Knight! Prove your strength and scatter these fools!" The masked man ordered the Death Knight, who refused to move. "I don't take commands. Or waste my time on weaklings." The Death Knight defied his commander. "No one engage that knight!" Jia warned the Eagles, pointing to the death knight. The students already seemed to have come to that conclusion themselves.

Ferdinand and Caspar both proved to be anxious to start the battle as both charged the nearest foes. Ferdinand speared through an unprepared archer with ease, showing once again his skill with the weapon. Caspar however stopped short and threw a short-axe at a mage who proved to be more skilled than the boy at range, easily dodging the weapon. The mage prepared some sort of spell to fire back but found his attempt cut short when an arrow lodged itself in his skull. "Alright Bernadetta!" Caspar cheered, though the archer took little delight in her victory.

The rest of the class caught up with the eager students and Byleth set about giving further instructions. She split the class in half: Herself, Edelgard, Hubert, Ferdinand and Dorothea would take the right flank. The rest would accompany Jia on the left. There was no reason to argue and so the class split, ready to defeat the enemy.

All went rather well, with no one sustaining injuries. The two flanks met again in the middle, within striking distance to finish off the apparent leader of their foe. However for some reason unknown to Jia, Byleth changed her course: Heading towards the Death Knight. "What is she doing?" Caspar of all people asked from behind Jia, to which he had no answer.

"Like moths to a flame..." The Death Knight said in an inhuman voice. The Death Knight easily parried Byleth's initial swing yet did not counter the blow. "I told you that if you fled, I would not chase you. But it seems you wish to die..." The Knight trailed off and Jia swore his eye glowed an even brighter red.

The strategist was convinced the knight would battle it out with Byleth first and not move on until said foe was defeated. A rare miscalculation as the Knight spurred his armoured steed into a full gallop, his target was unclear as most of the students that Byleth took were clumped together. "Scatter!" Jia ordered instinctual, though a fraction too late.

Hubert had the head of the Death Knight's sickle speared through his shoulder. "Ah..." Was all Hubert could say, the reality of what had happened not yet sinking in. A swing of an axe and the weapon was removed, leaving the young mage with an open wound to deal with. Thankfully Dorothea was nearby.

"There's no way around it, I shall be your opponent." Edelgard declared, shield and axe firmly in her grip. "Oh? This will be fun..." The Death Knight responded with some familiarity. The Death Knight pulled away from the young leader, no doubt preparing another charge. Almost as soon as he left, he was charging once more. His goal: Edelgard's head. He likely would have achieved it too had it not been for a large orb shooting at the feet of the horse, causing the steed to suddenly stop. "Byleth!" Jia shouted and the Death Knight turned his scythe to block the incoming slash from the teacher. The sound of steel on steel rang in the mausoleum for an age as the deadlock saw no signs of ending.

An axe embedded itself in the unprotected flank of the Death Knight, though the lack of blood told those watching it had failed to get through the Knight's heavy armour. The Deadlock ended with Byleth panting to recover her breath, the knight merely laughed. "How unexpected, together you might all be a challenge..." The Knight mused to himself, causing Jia to scowl. 'No flood attack here... Think Jia.' The strategist thought to himself in silence, not knowing how to overcome such a powerful foe. There was no way to trick him at this point and a fire attack was unlikely to take in the stone halls.

That familiar feeling again, everything that had happened in the last few moments flashed before him, though this time in reverse. The events stopped when the two halves of the Black Eagles re-united and Jia wanted to puke. "A-are you alright Jia?" The nervous archer asked him and he couldn't help but get a sense of Deja-vu. "Fine thank you." Jia said unconvincingly as he worked to hide his reaction to the phenomenon.

This time Byleth did not alter her course, charging the enemy leader instantly. The mage seemed to not be well-versed in combat as the former mercenary cut him down with a single swing of her blade. "Its... No use!" The mage cried as he got back to his feet. Jia was not the only one stunned as everyone seemed taken aback. The mage pushed the lid off of the tomb. "Huh... A sword!?" He asked the air in confusion, pulling out an odd-looking blade. Without thinking Byleth kicked into action, charging the mage and mirroring the attack that put him down the first time. The new sword was flung from the mage's grip and in reaction Byleth grabbed the weapon.

The mage was more relentless than anyone could anticipate as he fired off a spell at Byleth, who rose her new sword to block the attack. It was a success as the spell disappeared as it made contact with the weapon. "Huh... What!?" The mage exclaimed in confusion. Byleth threw her old sword to the ground and advanced on the helpless mage, who appeared to be summoning a new round of magic. The mage never got the chance to unleash the attack, as Byleth finished him off once and for all.

Byleth remained by the tomb, examining the sword she now had, what she was thinking was anyone's guess. "That sword is...I see. What a pleasant surprise." The Death Knight observed, before a ring of energy surrounded him and he vanished. Jia noted that teleportation was a technique some had access to here as a result. "Ugh, he got away!" Edelgard complained. "That sword... Why is it?" She asked, quick to get over the retreat of the powerful foe. "Something to learn later no? We should report our encounter." Jia suggested, earning a nod from the leader. Almost as if on cue Catherine and some knight entered the Mauseleum. "Is the intruder here?! Oh... Looks like you have this under control." She noted, before ordering her allies to round-up any stragglers. Jia had a feeling he knew the fate of those captured.

The next day, the surviving conspirators were held in the cathedral. With them were Rhea, Shamir, Seteth and anyone who wished to witness their fate. Jia was one of those people, silently watching events play out. It seemed that no matter what the accused said, the gathered judges would not allow them to speak. Jia could not see the reasoning behind it. Even if you knew your enemy would deceive you, it could still lead to further clues doubly so when a conspiracy is concerned. Alas the "Western Church Priests." Were not allowed to say their piece and were finally taken away to be executed.

Jia left the hall to seek out Byleth and their students. It was not hard to find them as they were gathered in their classroom.

"That's that, I suppose. The assassination attempt, the attack on the Holy Mausoleum... It was all the Western Church's doing. That masked knight who led the attack somehow managed to disappear without a trace." Edelgard explained matter of factly. "The Church of Seiros clearly isn't as unified as it would hope to appear. It seems the bishop of the Western Church was always opposed to the church being ruled centrally from Garreg Mach. Perhaps they hope to remove the archbishop in order to completely strip the Central Church of its authority." Hubert elaborated further and it made some sense to Jia. "Western Church, Central Church. I was unaware of such a divide." Jia pointed out.

"Oh right, you're not actually from Fódlan..." Edelgard remembered, a blush of embarrassment tinting her cheeks. "In order to function more efficiently, the Church of Seiros is split into several smaller entities. The Central Church is the largest and leads the organization from Garreg Mach." Edelgard explained, causing Jia to grin. "It would seem you'd make quite the good teacher yourself." He complimented, earning a shake of the head from the girl. "The Western Church extends from Castle Gaspard, where Lord Lonato rebelled into the far west. They can be found just beyond the most renowned stronghold of the Kingdom, the Fortress City of Arianrhod." Hubert filled in a few more blanks, to which Jia was grateful.

The conversation moved on, and other students began to express doubts. "Lady Rhea is pretty scary sometimes...but to execute that whole group just like that? It seems harsh, even for her." Caspar noted. "Execution is not an uncommon punishment here surely?" Jia expressed his doubts. "For major crimes such as treason or murder no, but rarely so many and not by the Church." Edelgard answered. Jia contemplated for moment. "If one of us does something bad, I wonder what she would do to us!" Bernadetta all but cried. Jia sighed, there wasn't anything he could say to comfort the girl in this case. Even if it were students in place of the Western Church he had no doubt Rhea would have shown the same amount of mercy.

"Professor... Do you agree with the archbishop's actions?" Dorothea asked Byleth, who's expression gave nothing away as to her thoughts. She was about to answer when Seteth entered the room. "There you are, Professor. It seems Lady Rhea would like a word with you. Come with me." The man ordered and Byleth dutifully obeyed, following the man out of the classroom. Dorothea sighed. "What about you Jia?" She asked him. "Executions are common where I am from, though we usually give the condemned a chance to explain themselves. Poor reasoning or no, it is valuable to know." Jia answered honestly, and he swore he saw Dorothea frown for a moment. He was not a fan of that.

In the desolate landscape that was the human-warriors camp, a crackle of energy lit at the gate. From it emerged three warriors: Cao Cao, Hideyoshi Toyotomi and the mystic Fu Xi. They had returned triumphant in there battle with Tamamo's trickery, this time at least.

"We return victorious, Ya-hoo!" The monkey cheered, earning the attention of those who did not notice their initial arrival. "That we did!"Fu Xi encouraged. While those two celebrated Cao Cao walked further in to camp, seeking out any of his strategists. The first he came across was a determined looking Nu Wa. "My lord." She said with a bow. "What is wrong Nu Wa?" He asked, sensing some hesitation. "Guo Jia is gone." She stated bluntly, preferring to get it over with. "Gone how?" He asked, and she began to tell the tale of how the Strategist and his Marksman friend left their realm.

"How do we get them back?" He asked, forgoing any thought of rest. "We do not, we must wait for them to find the way back themselves." She explained and Cao Cao's expression turned dark. "Very well." He said after a long pause, not in anger or defeat but simply acknowledgement. He gave a bow out of courtesy, before leaving the mystic to herself.


	8. Tower of Black Winds

Magoichi awoke in the manner he was accustomed to in recent weeks, that being under a lavish quilt with his arms wrapped around a beautiful woman. On this occasion however, he had to unwrap himself from his companion and with subtlety. Mercifully Manuela was a heavy sleeper or at least pretended to be, and he had little issue removing his arms from around her frame. He slowly moved the quilt from over him and let it rest upon his former spot once he got off the bed.. He wanted to whisper sweet goodbyes to her, but wisely chose not to ruin his getaway. He grabbed his coat on the way out and closed the door softly behind him.

Magoichi's destination was easy to guess for anyone as he found himself outside of Jia's quarters. 'I hope he's awake' Magoichi thought with a grimace, not wanting to incur the strategist's ire. He knocked twice with a short pause between the two strikes. Silence greeted him. He knocked again in a similar manner. Still silence was his answer. He gently pushed the door to open it and it gave no resistance. Inside was empty, it appeared as if Jia was already busy today. "Just my luck." Magoichi lamented to no one in particular, before setting off to find his friend.

It took all of twenty minutes before he found Jia, in the Black Eagle classroom no less. "Never mind. I'm being thoughtless with my words. For now, let's just focus on the problem at hand." Edelgard apologised to Byleth, who did not have the look of someone who required one. "Mago?" Jia asked all of a sudden, spotting the marksman. "The one and only, can I speak to you a moment?" He asked, getting questioning looks from all present. "This is supposed to be a strategy meeting, but I can give you some time." Jia responded, offering a bow of apology to the gathered members of the class. "Take your time." Byleth said in a neutral tone.

Once out of earshot of the class Magoichi breathed a sigh of relief. "What's wrong Mago?" Jia asked, starting to become concerned. "It's Manuela, her birthday is in a couple of days." Magoichi began to explain. Jia would have gotten annoyed if it were anyone else telling him this. "I need someone to help me make things, well memorable." Magoichi finished and Jia had to think for a moment. "Honestly, customs here dictate sending flowers is enough of an acknowledgement. On rare occasions hosting a tea party is also considered polite." Jia passed on the knowledge he had learned from his initial research into Fódlan's culture. Magoichi scoffed. "Sure I could do that, but when have I ever settled for standard?" The marksman asked earning a sigh from the Strategist. "Yes that is true, we all remember the Linqi incident." Jia shuddered at the memory. So many wasted pork buns.

"For someone so scarred from it, you mention it a lot." Magoichi admonished. "It is important to remember such mistakes." Jia counselled sagely. "So, are you going to help?" Magoichi pushed for an answer. "I'll recruit Dorothea, it is my understanding she knew Manuela for a long while before attending here." Jia relented, earning a smirk from Magoichi. "Sure you don't want to just spend time with her? You can do worse." Magoichi teased. "Or I can withdraw my offer of aid." Jia warned, getting the sharpshooter to be silent.

When the two returned to the Black Eagle classroom, only three people were actively planning: Byleth, Edelgard and Hubert. The rest of the attendees were idly chatting or planning out their schedules for the week. Jia approached Dorothea without Magoichi, as he decided to stay by the entrance. "Yes, professor?" The songstress asked as he approached. 'Not Jia?' He resisted the urge to ask. "Magoichi and I have a task that you could help us with greatly." Jia began, before being silenced with a hand gesture. Apparently Dorothea was not in the mood for pleasantries right now. "What can I do?" She asked, curiosity evident behind her eyes. Jia glanced around quickly, and although no one was looking he could not guarantee they were listening. "It is a delicate matter, can we discuss it outside?" He asked, lowing the volume of his voice to just above a whisper. "How scandalous professor." She chastised before getting to her feet.

Jia led the songstress from the classroom and although they were still in eyeshot, no one would be able to overhear them. "I'm told you've known Manuela for a while now." Magoichi stated accusingly, earning a raised eyebrow from Dorothea. "I used to perform with her for a time, why?" She asked in confusion. "I need your help to make her birthday special!" Magoichi declared, while Jia placed his palm over his face. "Why bother trying to be secret if you raise your voice." He stated dryly to himself, as his companions were too tuned into their conversation.

It seemed that Dorothea had long wanted to do something special to celebrate Manuela's birthday, but with the older woman's despair over lacking a lover it seemed like it would be a fruitless endeavour. "First we need to reserve the Dining Hall." She explained and from seemingly nowhere, Jia produced some paper and a quill. "We then make sure it is well stocked with Wine and ale." She elaborated and Jia jotted it down with a roll of his eyes. "As for food, meaty dishes and those made with high-quality fish." She finished, eyeing the notes that Jia had written. "Good." She observed.

"Now, as for gifts..." She began, pausing to think. "I think it would be best if I just come to the markets with you to help with that." She offered and Magoichi beamed. "Alright, I can live with that." He agreed. "And not the one here in Garreg Mach, you will be lucky to find anything that's not weaponry here..." She trailed off, saddened by the very nature of her current environment. "I will handle the dining hall then, Mago you good to leave now?" Jia asked. "Not so fast, you have to come with us, I will get Ferdie to reserve the dining hall." Dorothea interjected. Jia had no meaningful reason to argue bar stubbornness and thus relented easily. "Great, meet me at the gate while I go enlist Ferdie." She sang as she returned to her classroom.

"She's plotting something" Jia said suddenly as the pair neared the stables. "That right?" Magoichi responded with sarcasm. "Not helpful." Jia noted and Magoichi simply laughed. "What exactly is wrong with a pretty girl plotting to get you closer?" He asked teasingly. 'Irresponsible' Is what he wanted to say but instead held his tongue. Magoichi misunderstood Jia's silence as agreement. "Exactly, just have a little fun Jia." He encouraged his friend.

The two retrieved the horses they had been using their entire time here, as well as a beautiful black mare that served as transportation for Dorothea. They then moved to the gate, where somehow Dorothea was already waiting. And she was not alone. Accompanying her were Petra, Bernadetta, with Ingrid and Mercedes from the Blue Lions house.

"We're going to be travelling a bit more stylishly this time." Dorothea happily announced, Jia felt a pit rise in his stomach. "Oh?" Magoichi asked with a raised brow. Dorothea thumbed passed the gate and there was a magnificent carriage made primarily of oak, not overly ornate but certainly an indication of wealth. At the front of the large carriage three Pegasus were attached, ready to pull it when given the command. "Well, this'll be new." Magoichi said unimpressed. "Yes, certainly." Jia agreed, showing no signs of the uneasiness he now felt.

The girls were the first to pile in quite happily in fact. Next up was Magoichi, who made himself comfortable on the far side that had been left free. Jia eyed the carriage with some suspicion. "Who will be in charge of the flying exactly?" He felt compelled to ask. Dorothea could not stifle a giggle and it fell to Ingrid to answer. "A family friend of house Galatea." She answered and it did little to shed light on the situation. "I see." He responded before letting out a sigh. He begrudgingly entered the carriage and sat where he could, in this case right next to the door.

A quiet moment passed before the faint tingle of magic being cast could be heard, and the door they entered through shone faintly with a sheen of green. "Is that supposed to happen?" Jia asked, not able to hide his concern this time. "Yes, it is to stop us from opening it mid-flight." Ingrid explained, earning a nod from Jia. "Right, sensible." He said with a swallow. His mouth was beginning to feel dry.

"We leave in ten." An unknown voice called, it seemed to be come from where the rider would be. Jia chose to close his eyes and blot out the misery that was to come, he was certainly not comfortable with defying the will of heaven. 'Man should not fly' He thought with a sardonic grin gracing his lips. After a silent count to ten, the carriage began to move. Jia expected some sort of run up to get the creature to take to the sky but alas it wasn't to be. He immediately felt the carriage leaving the ground and the sensation of rising felt like it would never cease.

And then as quickly as it had started, the sensation stopped. It did not exactly feel as if they were walking along the road, in fact it did not feel like anything at all. Were they even moving? Jia did not wish to look and find out. "Umm, are you f-feeling alright professor?" The nervous archer asked. If she could tell he was having issues than it was likely the others did too. "Fine, fine." Jia replied, making an effort to straighten his clothes. No one seemed convinced but also no one pressed him on the matter.

"So, why do we need to travel like this?" Magoichi asked and Jia was a little curious himself. "In truth we could have ridden, but Ingrid here offered her family's carriage and I found it hard to turn down." Dorothea explained. "The market town isn't all that far." She followed up and Jia thanked the heavens for small mercies.

Almost as if to punctuate Dorothea's point, the sensation of falling ran through Jia. Though it was slow and controlled, Jia could not help but grip the closest thing to him. Thankfully it was an empty part of the seat and not one of his fellow passengers. The long decent announced its end with a violent rocking of the carriage, as the wheels hit ground once again. "Stopping in five." The rider announced. Five seconds later and the carriage came to a halt. The green sheen around the door disappeared and it opened promptly. A short rotund man opened the door and held it for the occupants to leave.

Jia being the last one to enter was the first one to leave and stood a few feet away from the carriage. He waited for everyone to disembark. Once everyone had, Dorothea clapped her hands to get everyone attention. "Okay everyone, we have two hours to get everything we want done." She announced and motivation amongst the girls began to soar. "Meet at the teahouse for lunch in an hour, dismissed." She commanded not unlike a general ordering their troops. The assembled girls quickly shot off in different directions, seemingly having different goals. "This way Professors." Dorothea called as she began to walk in to town. The pair followed her.

"So there is a lot to be found here, a lot of merchants pass through on their way to any of the capitals." Dorothea explained, as Magoichi eyed up some apples piled on a merchant's table. "For Manuela we have to get creative! I'm thinking a music box. Not rare but certainly not common." She decreed. Jia stroked his chin lightly, mimicking his old ally Jia Xu. "And what music should play?" He asked and Dorothea positively beamed at the question. "Definitely a hymn, Something she never sang on stage." She decided and pointed towards a shop. The shop in question had a sign outside. No words, just a picture of a present tied off with a bow. "Convenient." Magoichi said with a grin and the trio approached it.

When the three were inside, it was immediately apparent that it would be difficult to locate anything specific. The room was cramped as shelves took up the majority of the space. The shelves were full of all manner of oddities: some as simple as misshapen teddy bears all the way to insects preserved in jars of orange liquid. The latter discovered when Dorothea let out a faint yelp at a row of the creatures. "May I help at all?" A kindly looking man with a twirled grey moustache asked from the back corner of the room. "Yes, got any boxes that play music when it's opened?" Magoichi asked, and the man scratched his head in thought. "Hmm, maybe out back. They're not very popular these days." The older man lamented, and beckoned the sharpshooter to follow him. "I'll wait here." Dorothea declared, disappearing amongst the shelves. "You stay as well Jia." Magoichi said nonchalantly as he disappeared from view.

The minutes passed by and Jia had distracted himself by looking at a variety of different jewellery, a few pieces even seemed reasonable enough for him to purchase as a gift himself. He ran a finger over a few shiny red beads that made up a particularly striking bracelet and he was surprised by just how smooth they had gotten. "Who's the lucky girl?" Dorothea's voice snapped him out of his admiration for the piece. "I was thinking Manuela would appreciate it." Jia explained easily and Dorothea smiled. "Just don't upstage Professor Saika." She warned playfully, earning an eye-roll from the Strategist.

Another few moments went by and Magoichi finally emerged from out back, with the merchant in tow. "I've got it narrowed down." He declared and while Jia stayed where he was, Dorothea went to his side. "Well, Let's hear them." She encouraged and Magoichi opened the first box. The melody that played sounded almost identical to the harmony sang during the daily choir gatherings in the monastery only chimes instead of voices. The song began to loop and Magoichi closed the box. He placed it carefully on the table of the merchant before opening his second box.

The tune was foreign to Jia's ear and he simply could not place it. Dorothea had no such issue. "The Red Canyon calls..." She sang with parts of the melody and both men were enraptured by her voice. The tune began to loop and once again Magoichi once again closed the box.

"I think Dorothea's song sells it." Jia said, not knowing what else to call what he just heard. Dorothea giggled lightly. "It was an old favourite of Manuela's. She used to sing it when she wanted to impress someone." Dorothea explained, still running high from her impromptu performance. "Well that settles it." Magoichi agreed and handed over 400 gold to the merchant. "Will that be all sirs?" The merchant asked, a glimmer of hope for another transaction. "I'm good." Magoichi answered instantly, and began to make his way to the door. Dorothea looked at a row of shelves briefly before also excusing herself. That left Jia and the merchant alone.

"I suppose I should do something for her too." Jia said whimsically as he carefully moved the beaded jewellery to the table the merchant used as a counter. "Hmm, for you 250 gold!" He declared jovially and Jia had to admit it was infectious. "Very well." Jia agreed, handing the asked for sum. He had been sure to bring a limited amount of gold just in case the need arose. The Merchant was kind enough to place the jewellery in a small bag for safe transport, it was not unlike the one that contained Jia's Dragon Liver.

Jia began to walk away, before the merchant's voice stopped him. "By the by friend, the little lady was eyeing up that piece." The merchant pointed to a shelf housing a selection of hair clips. Jia had to respect the man's selling skills, even if it was an inconvenience. "That so? Would you care to narrow that down further?" Jia asked, hoping to end the game the merchant seemed determined to play. The man's eyes seemed to shine. "The gold one, with green cloth." He guided and Jia chuckled. "I know her a little better than that." Jia fired back and the merchant deflated a little. "Fine fine, the bronze one, red cloth." The merchant explained, and Jia picked up the aforementioned hair clip. He brought it to the table and Merchant grinned widely. "500 gold friend." He asked and while Jia could attempt to haggle, he really did not want to keep his companions waiting.

Having parted ways with more gold, Jia gave the merchant a bow in farewell before leaving to join his companions. Dorothea and Magoichi were straight outside the store, discussing more plans for Manuela's celebration, at least he assumed. The two became silent when they noticed Jia join them. "What's are next stop?" Magoichi asked. "Want to just walk around the market? We've succeeded faster than I though we would." Dorothea confessed. The three agreed to wander the market until the meet-up with the other girls.

The market did not hide any secrets wonders or even differ greatly from Garreg Mach's own markets. Vendors sold a few different fruits and vegetables but certainly nothing that warranted leaving the monastery for, at least not in Jia's mind. "Hmm, there's usually a few traders from Almyra or even Brigid here." Dorothea thought aloud and the three settled for a different means of entertainment. Namely attempting to find the largest of certain types of vegetables. Dorothea had succeeded in finding the largest potato and leek of the day. While Magoichi had found a gourd the size of his head. Jia had no luck in finding the largest, but he did buy three of the juicy apples as a treat for the trio.

At the agreed time, all three of them arrived at the designated meeting spot. Not surprisingly the others were already there waiting. Ingrid was carrying a new spear and Jia was curious as to why she could not procure such a thing back at Garreg Mach. Mercedes and Bernadetta both had matching bags, whatever goods they contained was a mystery. Petra curiously did not seem to have anything. Dorothea merged into the group seamlessly and began chatting away with the group. "We'll meet you by the carriage." She quickly informed the pair and the group of girls vanished inside the teahouse.

The pair looked dumbly at the retreating girls. "More planing no doubt." Jia noted and Magoichi couldn't help but chuckle. "Almost definitely a plan of attack for the day, don't worry." Magoichi attempted to ease his friend. "Let's head back to the carriage." Jia said, dropping the subject and the two headed back to the carriage.

The pair had been waiting for little over five minutes by the carriage. "Mago, what task have the Deer been assigned this month?" Jia inquired out of the blue. "Bandits again, no challenge for them." Magoichi stated, no stranger to fighting undisciplined foes. Jia nodded. "We've been tasked with bandits too, though this one stole an artefact of great power not money or food." Jia explained and Magoichi's attention was piqued. "An artefact, like what an idol or something?" He asked. "I'm told it is a spear, I'm not entirely sure why it is so special but the church is willing to slaughter anyone involved in its theft." Jia said with a sigh. "Though sending student to inflict such retribution does not sit right with me." He confessed.

"You'll think of something." Magoichi encouraged and the two stood in a comfortable silence. The silence was not broken until the group of girls returned and all seemed excited to return home. Jia opened the carriage and allowed everyone else to enter first, bringing up the rear. Once again the door was shut behind him and a green glow encased it.

The trip home went a lot smoother, mainly due to the face Jia was prepared for it this time. His stomach still flipped when they landed and Jia gave a silent vow never to travel in such a manner again. The group disembarked and promptly went their separate ways, leaving Magoichi, Jia and Dorothea alone. "Right, Professor Saika you have one job left." She began and Magoichi listened as if receiving orders from a commander. "You need to get Manuela to accompany you to the Dining Hall tomorrow evening, just before dinner. Understood?" She asked and Magoichi nodded in response. "Good, you may leave." She said, and Magoichi obliged leaving the two alone.

"And I assume I just need to attend yes?" Jia asked and Dorothea made a show of pretending to think for a moment. "Unless you want to help me arrange some flowers?" She asked. While Jia would have loved to call it a day and simply offer his gift to his fellow professor on the day, he could hardly deny the request. "If you think I will be of use." He agreed with a slight nod of his head and Dorothea all but dragged him to the greenhouse.

Jia stood by the entrance to the greenhouse, refusing to commit to going inside. He remembered all too well how negatively it affected him before. Dorothea did not object, perhaps she had spoken to Flayn about the matter before. "Professor, Carnations or roses?" She asked him, holding an example of each flower. The carnations were a light pink hue which would match and woman's complexion. While the roses were a beautiful shade of red and the classic choice. In all honesty Jia was out of his element. "Can you not make use of both?" He asked, feeling it was the safest option. "I was hoping you would say that." His companion admitted and began to have a discussion with the caretaker of the plants. It seems he had lucked out.

After a brief exchange of words, Dorothea left the greenhouse and the pair of them stood by the pond. "I'm sure Manuela will love it tomorrow." Dorothea hoped, looking at the reflection of the now setting sun in the pond. "You put a lot of effort into it, Manuela will appreciate that more than anything." Jia explained, wanting to ease the young woman's worries. It seemed to work as her shoulders became less tense. "And I will admit, it was an interesting distraction from the strategy meeting." Jia confessed, earning a giggle from Dorothea.

"It's getting late, I should probably let Edie know about our arrangements." Dorothea said. "See you tomorrow professor." She waved a goodbye. "And you." He said with a slight bow, leaving in the opposite direction. As he entered the Dining Hall a thought flashed through his mind. 'That would have been a good time to give her the gift.' He chuckled at the thought, shaking his head. Another time.

The next morning and Jia found himself recruited in the efforts to make the dining hall look more celebratory with the resources they had. "And all Mago has to do is keep Manuela away." Jia said with a chuckle, knowing full well the tactic Magoichi would use to achieve such a goal. "I-its not that bad p-professor." Bernadetta spoke up beside him, offering a golden piece of paper in the shape of a musical note to the taller man. Jia took it and using the paste provided stuck it as high as he could on the wall. A quick glance around showed musical notes of varying colours occupying most of the wall space at this point.

"Is our professor complaining again?" The commanding voice of Edelgard asked. Bernadetta let out a squeak in fear, looking frantically for an escape. "I have never complained." Jia answered cheekily, turning to face Edelgard. She did not look amused. "Honestly, it is bad enough we all have to do this last minute. Don't make it difficult." She warned, Jia opting to blame the words on an overworked leader.

The hall was finally decorated in a manner befitting a birthday. All that remained was for the cooks to work their magic, and Magoichi to arrive with the target. It would be a long wait.

Late afternoon arrived and at last Manuela was escorted to the Dining Hall, being led by Magoichi. "I don't see why we could not eat in my room." Manuela complained in a teasing manner. "You know others deserve to see you on your birthday." Magoichi responded easily, earning a light slap on the shoulder from Manuela. The pair entered the hall and the assembled students and teachers alike offered a "Happy Birthday!" At the top of their lungs. Manuela looked away from the assembled group, her eyes threatening to let loose a flood of tears.

"Success." Jia announced in triumph to no one in particular. "Victory!" Dorothea added cheerfully, before she rushed the older songstress, embracing her. Jia resisted the urge to chuckle and silently drank in the happiness flowing from the pair. Food began to flood the hall in the form of skewers of meat of various styles from across Fódlan, even the woman of the hour could not resist and dragged Magoichi to a table to begin feasting. Jia himself was not overly hungry and settled for a cup of wine, content to savour it alone.

"Professor." Edelgard announced her arrival before taking a seat beside him. She delicately nibbled at a piece of stringy meat skewered along with a mixture of vegetables. "I'm surprised, I thought you would take this opportunity to further woo your better professor." Jia teased. "I am flattered you chose me instead." He added with a wink, causing the girl to redden slightly. "That is not what this is." She defended herself, earning a grin from the strategist. "I know, sorry its a habit of mine to tease cute maidens." He apologised and she chose to ignore his comments.

"The reason I approached is because I need your assistance." She got to the point, and Jia's curiosity was piqued. "With Byleth?" He asked after a moment of silence. "N-no!" She denied loudly, turning a few heads to look at the pair. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "With this month's mission." She said with a sigh. "I thought the plan was set?" He inquired and she shook her head. "There is more to discuss. In private." She put emphasis on that last part and Jia nodded his head in understanding. "Alright, after the festivities I will be glad to lend my aid." He agreed and Edelgard was grateful. "Later then." She said, getting up to relocate. Jia was unsurprised when she ended up sitting beside Byleth. Edelgard shot him a pointed look once she caught him watching and Jia turned away after that, his grin not faltering.

"Oh wow!" Manuela exclaimed, snapping the strategist's attention. The songstress was currently holding the music box that Magoichi had procured. He could not hear the tune but there was no doubt it was playing. Magoichi wrapped an arm around the songstress' shoulder and she leaned into him. "It still surprises me how well behaved he's been." Jia thought aloud. "What a curious thing to say." The voice of Hubert responded earning a self-deprecating laugh from the strategist. "What an amazing ability you have, I never know when you're around Hubert." He complimented the boy, earning a scoff.

"I am still curious as to what you meant by your comment?" Hubert asked. "An idle thought that slipped from my tongue." Jia explained, his expression one that brokered no negotiation on that point. "How irritating." Hubert complained but made no further attempt to probe him on the matter.

Some time passed and Jia ate several more meat skewers by the time the Golden Deer finally joined the festivities. The students swarmed Manuela, showering her with all manner of gifts. Mainly trinkets and flowers but the gesture was all that mattered to the teacher whose eyes began to well up once more. Jia considered it may be a good moment to grace her with his own gift but ultimately decided against it, he would offer it to her in due time or even leave it with Magoichi.

Shortly the Deer settled down and joined the rest of the students in feasting and celebrating their teacher's birthday. Wine began to flow for the adults present, including the older students. Edelgard took that as her chance to leave, Byleth not long after. Jia wondered if it involved what she spoke of earlier but quickly shook the thought from his mind. With any luck the poor girl would be getting closer to her professor.

"How scandalous our leader can be." Dorothea said with a giggle, half a glass of wine in her hand. "Me being alone? Or our dear Edie?" He asked, using Dorothea's pet name for her. "Edie of course." She replied in a heartbeat. "I am afraid Byleth is not aware of her intentions well enough for it to lead to a scandal." Jia said with a chuckle. Dorothea frowned, seeming to want to disagree. "They'll get there." She said softly, taking a seat next to him. "Why are you by yourself any way?" She asked, taking a dainty sip from her glass. "Parties and feasts do not feel the same here." Jia said with a nod. It only seemed to cause Dorothea to wonder more.

Jia grinned. "It is simple really. I'm not used to this crowd." He explained, gesturing across the hall. "A victory celebration is something I excel at but celebrating a birthday in this manner? This is new." Jia finished his explanation and Dorothea nodded in understanding. "So, you get all shy in new situations?" She clarified earning a chuckle. "Not quite. I need to get a feel for these new situations and what I learned is simple this time, it is not about me." He said, gesturing towards Manuela. "No trading my stories, no contests of wit or strength. No over-indulging in wine." He sighed at the last part. Dorothea lightly patted his back in a comforting gesture. "Thank you for the attempt." She said earnestly.

"Am I interrupting?" Hubert asked, appearing from nowhere once more. "A little Hubie..." Dorothea acknowledged, letting the nickname hang. "Lady Edelgard has need of the professor." He relayed the information. "No doubt she needs my assistance to woo her target." Jia joked earning a scowl form the dark mage. Dorothea waved a goodbye to the pair as Hubert led Jia away.

Surprisingly, Edelgard was alone when the pair arrived at the leader's quarters. "Make sure no one approaches Hubert." She ordered and the boy obeyed as Edelgard hurried the strategist inside. Jia resisted the temptation to make a joke. "I will keep this brief and simple. I wish to recruit the bandit leader Miklan." She stated and Jia had only one question in mind. "Why?" He asked and Edelgard took her time to formulate a response. "Why?" She parroted. "All reports indicate he is in this situation due to the lack of a crest." She began to explain. "Crest? Hanneman mentioned them briefly, are they truly so influential?" Jia interrupted and Edelgard nodded. "He was lucky to not simply be disowned at the lack of a crest." She explained. "His younger brother, Sylvain attends the academy. My reports indicate that ever since his crest was discovered, Miklan's worth to the family declined. It ultimately led to the scenario before us, a relic stolen and the man's life on the line." She finished her explanation.

"I see, still it hardly constitutes risking the attempt to recruit him." Jia pointed out and Edelgard simply smiled. "True, the other reason I wish him to join the Empire is his skill." She produced a piece of paper and handed it to Jia. A quick glance and other than a brutish personality it was a sparkling recommendation of his talents. "What is not written there is also just how quickly he rallied men to his cause. Strength, skill and charisma that is quite the ideal general wouldn't you say?" She asked him and Jia had to nod in agreement.

Jia closed his eyes in thought and Edelgard did her utmost to give him silence and time. "Alright, the goal is clear enough. Recruit Miklan and do not allow the church to know of this." He begins and Edelgard listened intently. "I suppose returning the lance to the church is on that list too but that should come with Miklan's co-operation." He noted before moving on. "We have two real methods realistically speaking. The first is we pre-emptively meet with Miklan, just the three of us and convince him to join your cause. A plan to fool the church can be formulated more easily with his aid." He finished looking at Edelgard expectantly. "And the other method?" She inquired with a raised brow. "More tricky and reliant on luck, Hubert and I develop reasons to be excused from the mission and while you lead the rest of the Black Eagles and whoever the church sends to monitor you, we will find an alternative way to approach Miklan. This will mean Hubert and I will have to convince Miklan to run from a fight, his report suggests that is unlikely." He emphasized that last point and Edelgard was forced to agree.

Jia let out a sigh. "Of course either plan would require knowledge of where these bandits are holed up prior to the mission." He revealed. "Seeing as this is empire business, I have access to someone who can acquire such information." Edelgard revealed. "I will await a location from you then, and let you decide which method we use as well." He granted and made to leave the room. Neither student made an attempt to stop it, resolving to leave the man alone until they had the required information.

Jia found himself back at the Dining Hall and not spying his previous companion decided to approach Manuela and Magoichi. "I believe it is custom that I wish you a happy birthday." He joked with a flourished bow. Manuela giggled, waving at the strategist to stop. "This is for you." He informed, producing the bag he had brought from the merchant prior. She was surprised and opened the bag hastily, revealing the piece of beaded jewellery. It reflected a dark red, opposite to the teal jewellery she usually wore. It became even more apparent as she slipped it onto her wrist, the contrast an impressive look. "Thank you Jia." She marvelled, finding it difficult to take her eyes off the piece.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to show me up." Magoichi chimed in. "Oh shush." Manuela admonished and Magoichi let out a boisterous laugh. "I had to thank her for keeping you out of trouble as well as a celebratory gift you know." Jia could not help teasing his friend, who made a show of looking offended.

A yawn escaped Jia. "My apologies, I seem to be quite exhausted of late. Enjoy the rest of your evening." He said, drowsiness lacing his voice. With a quick bow out of courtesy he left the dining hall and retired for the evening.

A few days later and Jia was enjoying some spare time by fishing in the pond, the familiar site of Flayn by his side. "You are improving." She observed and Jia smiled at the lone fish in his bucket. "A small stride into becoming a master fisherman." He joked, soliciting a giggle from the girl. "Perhaps you should attend one of my lessons one day, as repayment for your guidance." He offered and Flayn shook her head. "Brother would not approve." She shared. A sharp tug at the end of his rod indicated another bite for Jia, who willingly ignored it. "Want me to speak with him?" He questioned. "I doubt that will accomplish much." She responded and Jia sighed. It was a difficult problem, being unable to assist someone you cared about.

"Sorry to interrupt." Hubert Interrupted once again. "May I borrow the professor?" He asked the girl. "You may." She answered, shifting her focus from the strategist to her fishing rod. Jia for his part reeled in his line and left the rod beside his bucket, intending to return.

It was not until he was outside of Edelgard's room that he realised he would be unlikely to return to the hobby, at least today. "I take it you have some information?" He queried and the empress to be nodded. "The area around Connad tower, that is in Kingdom territory." She revealed. "And how do you wish to approach?" He questioned. "We shall leave at once and attempt to negotiate, just the three of us no more." She declared and Jia felt a sense of relief. It was definitely the safer plan. "As to not rouse suspicion, we will leave for the nearby village on foot at twenty minute intervals. Once we rendezvous I shall have horses waiting to take us to our destination." She outlined her plan and Jia nodded in agreement. She had done well to consider such factors.

An hour had passed and Jia entered the village nearest to the monastery, keeping an eye peeled for either Edelgard or Hubert. He need not have worried as the pair approached him, horses in tow. An older grey mare was given to Jia to ride, and at a glance he could tell the horse was made for long hard journeys as opposed to sprints. Once more he was impressed with her ability to plan ahead.

Three days of slow but steady riding and the trio were within range of Connad tower. "Now we must find them and hope they are willing to talk." Jia reiterated and the two students simply nodded, following their professor into a dangerous scenario. Two thugs, armed with bows stood at the base of the tower. They immediately drew their weapons and aimed at the trio as they approached. They stopped in their tracks.

Jia held his weapon vertically, a strip of white cloth had been tied to the end held aloft. "We wish to speak with your leader!" Jia exclaimed, straining his voice in an attempt to echo Xiahou Dun's intimidating tones. A tense moment passed as the trio stared down the archers. They lowered their bows as the door they were guarding opened, revealing a strong-built man in full armour clutching a devilish looking spear. It was a combination of his fiery hair and signature scar that confirmed to the trio that this was likely Miklan.

The bandit leader showed no fear as he walked straight up to Jia and the students. "What do you want?" He grunted, looking at the trio with contempt. "To save you." Edelgard responded, earning a dismissive laugh from the thug. Even Jia rolled his eyes at the choice of words. "The church is coming for you, even you must admit that will be a fight you lose." Jia began to explain, silencing the man's laughter. "We merely offer an alternative to your group's pointless slaughter, at least hear her out." Jia finished and Miklan took a minute to mull over the strategist's words.

"Alright, I'll listen." Miklan said with a grunt, talking evidently not his strongest skill. "I am Edelgard von Hresvelg, next in line for the empire's throne. If you agree to my terms I can guarantee you make it out of this conflict alive." She claimed. "And what are these terms?" He asked. "Swear fealty to the empire and serve as a knight in my vanguard, in exchange you and your bandits have my word they will survive the battle to come." She offered and Miklan seemed genuinely interested in the deal. "I need to consult my men." He said after some time. "I will grant you fifteen minutes." She declared and the thug nodded in acknowledgement before leaving.

"We should prepare to retreat, this might turn sour." Hubert murmured and Jia shook his head. "They know you're related to the emperor, next in line in fact." He put emphasise on the words she used. "A real ultimatum, they will join us or they will reveal this deal to those you would rather not. Physically we are safe right this moment." Jia finished his explanation. "Apologies, I should not have been so revealing." She apologised and Jia waved it away. "No need for that, simply learn from it." Jia eased.

Fifteen minutes on the dot and Miklan returned to the trio, looking determined. "We can agree to your conditions." He stated and Edelgard's eyes lit up. "Now how do we beat this?" He requested and Jia dismounted. "That is why I am here, now I need a map of your camp." He commanded, gesturing for Miklan to lead them to the tower. He obliged and the three of them found themselves in a small room, designated as Miklan's quarters. It thankfully contained a map of the tower, including a vital secret escape route.

Jia tapped the location with some force. "And there is the key to my plan." Jia decreed, all eyes focusing on the map. Jia explained his plan with vigour and when no one objected he went into fine detail on how everyone would fulfil their roles. All they could do now was wait until the day of the attack.

The Black Eagle marched upon Connad tower, accompanied by the knight Gilbert. Jia uncharacteristically did not travel alongside the commanders, opting to bring up the rear instead. He traded a few idle tales with Petra and Caspar, learning more of her home's customs alongside the blue-haired axeman.

The front of the group had slowed to a stop and when the last members of the Eagle approached their conversation was coming to an end. "There's no reason that Crests should have the power to dictate someone's destiny. Don't you agree, Gilbert? He was just another victim of cruel fate. Forsaken by the goddess, who now demands his execution." Edelgard was arguing and Jia had to bite his tongue. She was being a little too provocative considering they had a plan. Fortunately the old knight seemed to not wish to give his opinion on the matter and the topic of conversation died on the wind.

The ascent up the tower was as expected, at least for Jia. They encountered all manner of traps and barricades, slowing the trip but causing no injuries. Edelgard had insisted on non-lethal methods, even if it risked revealing the charade.

"The enemy is close by." Gilbert declared and Jia steeled himself, it would be down to Hubert and himself to make this next part work. "A suggestion, Byleth." Jia said, placing a hand on the professor's shoulder, she snapped her attention to him. "We faced little resistance to get here, I believe we should maintain a rearguard or risk being pincered." He finished his explanation, logically it was believable. After a tense moment she nodded in agreement. In a stroke of luck she asked Gilbert and Ferdinand to hold the stairs and they both agreed, it may have been an issue to distract Gilbert otherwise.

The rest of the Black Eagles slowly pressed onwards, facing token resistance at best. The encounters went the same each time. A blow or two would trade before the bandit would lose their nerve and retreat further in.

A split in the path was reached and that was their moment to split from the group, taking the right path as opposed to the left. Both would lead to the same location in the end but this way the duo could dash unimpeded to their goal. The pair did as such and came to a stop outside of a rectangular room with no apparent means of escape. "You are ready for this correct?" Hubert asked earning a chuckle. "I am supposed to ask you that." He japed and Hubert allowed himself a smile. The pair prepared their weapons and waited for their allies to turn the corner.

The sounds of steel clashing on steel got louder and in a flash, Edelgard and Petra turned the corner. Waiting a beat until Petra spotted them the duo of Hubert and Jia entered the final room. Petra made a mad sprint towards them to catch up and help but it was to no avail. A pair of solid steel doors closed behind them, locking them in a room full of bandits. "Professor are you being okay!?" Petra bellowed as she pounded a fist on the door.

Jia felt a pang of guilt at making the girl worry, though the greater goal would soon be accomplished. "Look what we have here boys, easy pickings." Miklan growled and Jia was pleased by how well the man played the role. "Please, be retreating!" Petra pleaded of her allies, to little avail. If this were real that would not be a possibility. In the silence more voices could be heard joining Petra, clamouring to know what was going on.

Time for Jia to put on a show himself. "I would not be so certain, if you grant me the relic you stole I may spare your pitiful lives." Jia threatened with an even tone. A boisterous laugh left the bandit leader. "Very funny, boys kill them both." He ordered the handful of bandits, the sound of swords being drawn echoing through the chamber. Jia sighed. "I was hoping to not scare my students like this." The strategist lamented. "What do you mean professor?" Hubert inquired, playing his part.

Suddenly Jia laughed maniacally, parroting his comrade Sima Yi. "Fools, I will burn you all to dust for challenging me with such pathetic tactics!" Jia thundered, dropping several items on the ground. The items turned to flames, almost as if by magic. The fire quickly grew into an inferno, lashing at the walls, floor and any poor soul who got close enough. Fortunately for those it struck the flames were all show, doing no damage to flesh.

The room slowly cleared of smoke and looked as if it had been devastated by a raging inferno. Every surface was blackened and no bandits remained. The only evidence they even existed was the Lance of Ruin they had stolen in the first place. In order to fix that, Hubert produced a sack of ash and after leaving a sizeable pile by the lance, began to make similar piles across the room. A quick nod and Jia knew it was time to sell the results to the rest of the house.

A quick search by the door revealed a lever and with a tug the doors slowly opened. Petra barrelled into the room, sword drawn. She was taken aback by the damage she was witnessed. "The bandits?" She asked and Hubert with a shaken look upon his face pointed to the pile of ash that was Miklan. Petra said nothing else, opting to leave the room. One by one other members of the Black Eagles entered to survey the aftermath. Each one had a similar reactions to Petra.

Only Byleth did not immediately withdraw, kicking the pile of ash that was Miklan as if examining it. Seemingly satisfied she picked up the Lance of Ruin and left the room, never changing her blank expression. Hubert let out sigh. "I believe we are in the clear." He revealed and Jia nodded his agreement, though he may have gone a little overboard with the fire attack act. "We should regroup with the rest." Hubert stated and began to leave. Jia simply followed.

The base of the tower and Jia was approached by Gilbert. "I hear you rendered most of the bandits to ash?" The old knight asked in a neutral tone. Jia nodded. "I see, Lady Rhea will be grateful the bandits were disposed of and the relic reclaimed." He acknowledged before taking his leave of the strategist. "Rhea grows more frightening by the day." Jia mused to himself, not realising he was voicing his thoughts.

"I concur." Edelgard agreed. It took a great effort for Jia to resist the urge to flinch. "Has everyone fallen for our ploy?" Jia queried earning a nod. "Then that is the last I will speak on the matter." Jia instructed and Edelgard understood perfectly. "You will likely be avoided for a while." She notified and Jia was not foolish enough to think he would get away with such a performance with his jovial image intact.

Still, it may have solved his Dorothea issue. Jia sighed and left Edelgard's company. It was likely to be a long trek back to the Monastery.


	9. Rumors of a Reaper

On the return journey to Garreg Mach Jia found himself riding by Byleth's side, the students not in a jovial mood. "You were trapped." Byleth noted out of the blue, prompting Jia to turn his head to look at her. "What was that?" He asked and Byleth repeated herself. "Ah that, Hubert was over-eager to rout the enemy. I could not allow him to attack alone." Jia blamed the student, something they had agreed upon if someone was to pry. Silence returned.

"That's not like him either." Byleth pointed out, earning a chuckle from the strategist. "I thought so too, some things we aren't to know." Jia explained and the two returned their attention to the journey home. Once back at Garreg Mach the students gave Jia a wide-berth. Jia decided to retire to his quarters and give any issues a chance to rest.

Early morning and Jia was woken by a faint knock on his door, how it managed to rouse him was anyone's guess. "It should be open." He mumbled groggily, consciousness only just returning to him. The door opened, and standing there was the small figure of Flayn. Jia quickly wrapped a sheet around his upper body, not wanting to show too much of himself to the sheltered girl.

"Good morning." She all but sang, full of her usual cheer. "Morning Flayn. Is there a reason for this surprise visit?" He asked calmly. "I hope you will forgive me but, some unsettling rumours have been floating around the monastery since you're return." She explained. "I see, in that case could you give me some time to dress. If we're to talk at length I would rather be decent." He requested and Flayn nodded. "In that case, may I fetch some tea? No reason for us to not enjoy the time." She offered and Jia could not stop himself from sharing a smile. "Of course." He affirmed and the girl left his quarters.

Fifteen minutes passed and Jia was dressed in his original blue attire and looked every part the Wei strategist. Another faint knocking on the door and Jia gave Flayn permission to enter. She carried a tray with all the things necessary to brew and enjoy tea.

Like what Dorothea had done before, Jia had placed a small table in the centre of the room. Flayn placed her tray atop of it and waited for the teapot to cool. "So, about the rumours?" She queried. "It would help if I knew the gist of them." Jia stated and a look of realisation sprouted across her face. "Of course, well the harshest would be that you mercilessly burned a group of bandits to cinders." She recited the information. "I would not say it was merciless, but yes that is more or less the truth of it." He verified and Flayn frowned. "How disappointing." She lamented, staring at the teapot.

Jia sighed, not really wanting his friendship with the girl to sour. "I am sorry, in warfare one's hands are sometimes tied. My choice was Hubert's life or the tactic I ended up executing." He attempted to explain. "It still seems overly cruel." She rejected his explanation. Jia thought for a moment.

"If I described my reasoning in full, you may feel differently. Are you willing?" Jia asked, not having any other immediate options. A long silence sat between the two. "Very well." She finally agreed. "First let's pour this tea." Jia said and reached for the teapot. He poured two cups full with the expertise befitting one who spent many evenings back home sharing tea with those who avoided wine. Flayn applauded lightly, impressed.

Jia brought his cup to his nose and gave it a light sniff. The aroma was different to any of the tea he had sampled in Fódlan, having an overpowering nutty scent. A quick revealed its taste was identical to the smell, the taste of almond's the most prominent flavour. Jia would have preferred something sweeter but voiced no complaints. Flayn on the other hand seemed in a state of bliss as she savoured her first taste of the blend.

For a moment Jia suspected Flayn lost to the room, that was until she snapped out of her almost-trance like state and cleared her throat. "Well then, if you would begin?" She asked sweetly, taking further gentle sips of her tea as she waits for Jia to speak. "It was quite some time ago..." Jia trailed off as he formulated his words.

Jia stared at the castle in flames from atop his steed, a look of concern plastered on his features. His lord was trapped inside the castle, his only defence his blade and Dian Wei. Jia did not doubt the tenacity of either man but those were not good odds. "Cousin!" Dun bellowed from his side, a look of determination pointed towards the castle. "We must prepare to assist an escape." Jia stated calmly, not wishing to panic those around him.

It was all the encouragement that Dun required and he spurred his horse into action, followed closely by Yuan. Jia lagged slightly but was likewise fuelled with the desire to see his lord safe.

It was fruitless, the gates were sealed and any attempt to get close and batter them down was thwarted by archers on the wall. "Damn them!" Dun yelled in frustration and Yuan fired a shot, effortlessly removing an archer from the wall. An excellent shot but unless he could do so 100 more times it would accomplish little. "We have no choice but to wait outside of their range and await our lord." Jia explained and while neither of the Xiahou clan looked pleased with the plan they obliged.

It felt like an eternity, then the gates opened. From them emerged Cao Cao, who looked little worse for wear. A mad dash later and he was amongst the generals that had gathered for him. "Dian Wei..." Jia muttered, looking away from his lord. "He stayed behind to ensure my escape, I am certain he will join up with us shortly." Cao Cao stated confidently and Jia wanted to believe him.

A quick breath and Jia resumed his role. "Very well, let us make sure Zhang Xiu is dealt with before we are reunited." He announced. "Our first task should be to secure those bases to the West, there we will set up an ambush for Zhang Xiu's inevitable reinforcements." He ordered and in no time at all the four generals rode forth, taking on a base each.

Jia's plan went off without a hitch, the warlord Liu Biao had sent reinforcements to aid Zhang Xiu. They were dispatched in no time, standing little chance of overcoming such an ambush. Without being able to rely on his ally, Zhang Xiu was forced to open his gates and engage Cao Cao himself. Xiahou Dun was the first through the gates and Jia knew he only had to count the minutes until victory was assured.

He was right, not five minutes later and enemy troops dropped their weapons in mass. As was the norm, Cao Cao ignored the common troops and marched straight to where Zhang Xiu was holed up. Jia followed behind and the pair arrived at what passed for a throne room. On the floor was the lifeless body of Zhang Xiu, the telltale marks from Xiahou Dun's Podao the clear cause. "Cousin, that one surrendered." Dun revealed, pointing at a turbaned man with his hands held up.

"Ah, Jia Xu the strategist." Cao Cao revealed and Jia stiffened. So this was the man responsible for all of this. "You've bested me, do as you please." Xu admitted, dropping to his knees and lowering his head as if expecting a swift end. "I am not going to kill you." Cao revealed. "...Did I hear you right?" The enemy strategist inquired cautiously. Jia nodded his head. "The damage you caused with this bold move is indication of your worth." Jia explained with a sigh. "It will take some time to get over the losses." He lamented, looking to the floor. They should look for Dian Wei soon. "Jia speaks the truth. If you put your talents to use in aiding me unite the land, then I shall let you live." Cao offered, motioning for the strategist to rise. "Honestly, I wasn't expecting that." Xu said with a chuckle. "In any case, I'll do my best to make myself useful to you." Xu pledged, getting to his feet.

"We had to wait for the fires to die down before we could search the castle properly." Jia confessed, taking a sip from his tea. "We found Dian Wei in the afternoon, surrounded by the dead of the enemy. A valiant end but of little consolation." He revealed. Flayn for her part looked quite upset. "That is quite tragic, though I fail to see how this explains your actions." She admitted. "There is no worse feeling in the world then knowing if you acted a little sooner or a little harsher you could have saved a friend." Jia explained, looking up to the ceiling. His eyes were beginning to moisten. "There was always the possibility Zhang Xiu would attempt to eliminate my lord. I chose to believe honour would keep him in check." He wiped his eyes before looking back at Flayn. "A mistake I would not make twice." He stated and Flayn nodded in acknowledgement.

"I can see how that may influence the way you act, though burning a room full of bandits alive still seems overly cruel." She repeated herself. "And if I allowed Hubert to die, would that have been preferable?" Jia asked, keeping his tone even. "Of course not!" Flayn shouted, before looking downwards. "Apologies." She mumbled. "I do not use such tactics lightly Flayn, I know how devastating it can be. Please trust me when I tell you that I take no joy from it." He pleaded and Flayn sighed like a mother would to a child trying to avoid a telling off. "Alright, promise me if I am ever in such peril you will not use such tactics." She instructed and he raised a brow. "You would rather I not do my utmost to see you safe?" He asked and she nodded. "What a harsh thing to wish of a friend." He all but mumbled.

"I know, but please." She implored him. "I Guo Jia, swear to not decimate the enemy in order to aid you." He swore, bowing his head and holding his hands together as if in prayer. "Thank you." She said, smiling truly for the first time that morning. "Now, would you like discuss more pleasant things?" She asked and the two exchanged friendly tales with one another.

The afternoon rolled around and Jia found himself in front of the Black Eagles. He was scheduled to teach them a lesson, one he had planned to be about the importance of supply lines. Unfortunately the atmosphere was thick and it was easy for anyone to tell that anything taught in such an environment would not sink in.

Jia cleared his throat. "Alright, let us get this out-of-the-way then." He announced and erased his brief pre-written notes from the blackboard. "If there are any grievances, please share them now so we may move on." He inquired of the class. He received silence in response. "Would speaking individually be preferred then?" He questioned. "It's just gonna take time to get over, talking won't help." Caspar answered, and notably Ferdinand and Petra nodded their agreements.

"Time heals all wounds, not everyone has the time to spare." Jia countered, looking wistful. He shook his head. "Very well, consider this as extra free time. Go and relax but know I will be here until the end of what would have been your lesson." He offered and the aforementioned trio took their leave. Edelgard and Hubert also left shortly after, though not without a proper farewell to their teacher.

That left Linhardt, Dorothea and Bernadetta. Linhardt was currently hunched over his desk, a dark green pillow nestled under his head. The boy had elected to use his time to sleep, which came as a surprise to no one. What did surprise Jia was that Bernadetta approached him. "I-I don't think anyone blames you for what happened p-professor." She began, nerves starting to take grip of her. "J-just no one was ready to see people dust" She finished, looking anywhere but at Jia.

Jia placed a hand on his temple, rubbing it gently. "It is easy for me to forget you're all so young." He confessed. "More disturbing sights are possible to witness if you're determined to serve on the battlefield though, perhaps you should look at other ways to live your life." He offered an alternative. Somehow, Bernadetta's shoulder sagged even further. "I didn't really have a choice." She laments.

Jia raises a questioning brow. "How so?" He asked. "Forget I said Anything." She squeaked out, words meshing together. "I can do that, or you can tell me more and I'll reveal something in return." He suggested, not truly thinking it would work but trying none the less. "Deal." She accepted to Jia's surprise. "I was basically kidnapped. My mother ordered an attendant to stuff me in a bag while I was sleeping." She took a deep breath to calm herself. "By the time I figured out what was going on, I was already here." She gestured around the room with her arms open wide. "For a while, I was sure I was going to die. But here I am. Look at me...still breathing." She said with a smile that did not reach her eyes. "Oh Bernie..." Dorothea sympathised, causing the archer to flinch.

She turned to the older girl and looked like a rabbit that had been gripped by a hawk. "T-that was private!" She challenged and Dorothea held her hands up in surrender. "I'll keep it private Bernie." She assured and Bernadetta began to calm down.

Jia could barely contain a smirk, the sight of the two girls getting on reminding him of some of the younger warriors back home. "So, what would you like to know Bernie?" He asked, using the songstress' nickname for her. "How long are you going to stay with us?" She requested, surprising him with her bluntness. He also noticed Dorothea perked up too at the question. "As long as Rhea allows it I suppose." He answers carefully with an element of truth. "That's pretty vague professor." Dorothea challenged, earning a chuckle from the strategist. "Our current situation is most definitely vague." He agreed with a chuckle. "Want to ask something else instead?" He asked and Bernadetta nodded.

The archer took her time to think how she would word her question for the strategist. "How long have you actually fought for?" She questioned. "Well that's a tricky one." Jia stated bluntly, rubbing his chin in thought. He could not exactly be honest with his answer. "It was non-stop once I began to serve my lord, eleven years in all." He explained. He decided to count his experiences from before his natural end in life but not include his time spent fighting the forces of Orochi, not that it could be accurately measured after Kaguya's manipulations.

The two girls were stunned by his revelation. "How old are you professor?" Dorothea asked. "Thirty-two." He answered. He had once asked Nu Was why many of the officers who had long since passed on did not return at the age of passing. Her explanation boiled down to Orochi wishing to fight humanity at its best and so many were summoned to his world in their prime. "You seem much younger." Dorothea commented and Jia chose to take it as a compliment.

"You should run along an enjoy your free-time now." Jia said, waving the girls off with a playful gesture. "One more thing professor." Dorothea began. "If you have been involved in fighting for eleven years... Have you lost many people?" She asked, concern evident in her voice. Jia sighed. "A heavy topic that I do not wish to revisit today." He admitted. It was not so much the subject itself so much as it was only recently scratched that morning.

Dorothea offered some apologies and the duo said there goodbyes. "You're worse than Hubert." Jia accused the woman stood by the doorway. "Didn't want to interrupt you." Byleth responded in that usual monotone of hers. "The students?" She asked and Jia explained the reasoning behind letting them loose. "Understandable." She admitted with a nod. "Come to think of it, you might be one of the few people not to comment on my actions." Jia noted. "Brutal but necessary." Was her observation, prompting a chuckle from the strategist.

"How strange that his laughter rings hollow." A new voice stated. "What a harsh thing to say." Jia said in return, looking for a face to match the voice to. He found no one but Byleth and a still sleeping Linhardt. For her part Byleth looked shocked at the response. "You heard that?" She asked. For a moment Jia considered playing off the dialogue as being overly stressed these last few days, however decided against it. "But I do not see who." He informed her.

Byleth stayed silent for a moment. "If you or this voice can enlighten me I'm all ears." Jia offered. "Another time, Byleth and I are still getting used to this arrangement." The voice explained, leaving Jia with no real way to press the issue. "Very well, but know I'll bring it up again." Jia excused himself with a bow, leaving Byleth with her thoughts as well as the voice that accompanied her.

One week later and Jia found himself teaching the Blue Lion class once more. The Black Eagles were beginning to soften their distancing of him but still came off as confrontational at times. Not an ideal environment to be teaching the finer points of strategy in. "Supreme excellence is something every strategist should aim to achieve, would anyone like to guess at what that is?" Jia asked the room. Mercedes was the only one with an arm raised. Jia pointed at the girl. "Is it when you maximise enemy casualties while minimizing your own?" She answered cautiously.

Jia shook his head and Mercedes looked slightly embarrassed. "You are on the right track and for someone who has not read Sun Tzu's texts it is a commendable guess." He encouraged her. "Who is Sun Tzu?" Annette asked from beside the matronly girl. "The man that every strategist since has based their methods on." He answered. "Why?" Felix asked from the front and Jia stroked his chin. "Why does anyone learn from others? Because his techniques work there is no doubt about that." Jia explained patiently. "If anyone is interested on learning more about the man himself please do speak to me in your free time." Jia offered the students, not truly expecting any of them to take him up in the offer. "For now though, Supreme excellence." He began and the class readied to take notes.

"To fight and conquer in our battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy resistance without fighting." Jia recited the words from memory. "So as I said, Mercedes was not far from the truth of it." He nodded at the girl. "I daresay you've only ever fought bandits up until now correct?" He asked the class earning a chorus of confirmations. "And have you always been victorious by cutting down each and everyone?" He pressed further, earning a more subdued round of affirmations.

"For bandits it is often the fastest and most efficient way, after all they are usually undisciplined and few in number." Jia admitted. "However say it was an enemy kingdom or an even shorter leap to a skilled band of mercenaries? Do you think they would be so easy to best?" His questioning gaze wondered over the students. "Before getting into specifics I will go over some basic tenants, the basis of the art of war." He announced and readied to write down what he spoke on the board behind him.

"If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him." He started. "If he is in superior strength, evade him." He continued. "If your opponent is temperamental." Jia could not finish his point as Magoichi called his name. Jia turned to look at his friend. "Manuela's missing." The marksman said seriously, a look of concern across his features. "As is Flayn." Edelgard announced from the entrance to the room. Jia nodded in acknowledgement. "Class is over for today, go find out how you can help with the current situation if you can." Jia ordered the students, who dutifully obeyed. They filed out of the room in pairs.

"What do we know?" Jia asked the pair once Edelgard had closed the distance. "Not a great deal I'm afraid, the rest of the Black Eagles have already split up to search for a lead." She revealed and Jia could not fault the logic. "Similar for Manuela, I've sent the Deer after signs of her." Magoichi admitted. "An ideal response, I shall see what I can find out as well." Jia volunteered and the others agreed to do the same. The three parted ways.

Jia made his way across the bridge to the monastery, thinking it logical to start somewhere she was found frequently. Hubert stopped him halfway across said bridge. "You have been informed about Flayn, correct?" He asked, earning a nod from Jia. "If Flayn has been taken hostage, then we know she is alive. At least for now." The boy surmised. Callous yet accurate. "I'll be on my way." Jia said in parting, leaving Hubert to his own search.

Jia made a beeline for the saint statues, a place she would regularly be found around either simply keeping to herself or tending the statues. There were no signs of her and even the caretaker nearby admitted to not seeing her that day. Jia moved on, searching the rest on the Monastery, conversing with no one until her ran into Rhea herself. "Lady Rhea." Jia began, but was cut off by her raising a hand. "Do you have any news regarding Flayn?" She asked earnestly, yet Jia had to shake his head. "Regrettable, It pains me to think of the girl in fear." Rhea confessed. "Everyone intends to see her returned, that is no exaggeration." Jia assured her, earning a faint smile from the Priestess. "It warms my heart to hear such things." Rhea admits.

A gunshot resonates through the air and Rhea clutches at her hip, reaching for a weapon that was not there. Jia mentally filed that away for another time and dashed in the direction of the noise. Hubert was notably absent from where he had left him, likely he too was responding to the noise.

Jia found himself gathered with a mixture of students from both the Golden Deer and Black Eagle house just outside the knight's quarters. He assumed that the Blue Lions were not as well acquainted with Magoichi's weapon as the currently present houses. The strategist manoeuvred his way through the students and entered through the gate.

Inside the building and Jia hurried to the first room with an open door. Inside Manuela was resting in Magoichi's arms, a small scrap of fabric in her hand. Hubert stood off to the side, examining a passageway of some kind. "Is she injured Mago?" Jia inquired and Magoichi nodded. "We should move her to the infirmary, if you would allow me Professor?" Edelgard offered. "Hey, let me pitch in too." Chimed in Claude as he entered the room. The Alliance leader crouched down by Manuela's feet while Edelgard positioned herself by her shoulders.

The two leaders lifted the wounded Songstress, Edelgard nestling the older woman's head in her bust to support it as they moved. "If I may, we should investigate the passageway as soon as possible." Hubert suggested and Magoichi got to his feet. He ran a hand along the barrel of his gun and seemingly satisfied walked past the boy.

Hubert wanted to protest but Jia silenced him was a shake of his head. "Magoichi can handle himself, we need to gather some support." Jia Noted and left to meet the students by the gate. It turned out every member of the Deer and Eagles wished to assist in finding Flayn and avenging Manuela. They followed the strategist back to Jeritza's room and looked at the passageway with some hesitation.

"Shall we professor?" Hubert asked and Jia took point, heading into the passageway. A good distance in and the sound of steel on steel resonated through the passage walls. A spark lit up the distance. "You will die here." An ominous voice declared and another spark lit up the passage. "You first bastard." Magoichi's voice shot back and Jia quickened his pace. The strategist turned a corner and saw Magoichi trading blows with the Death knight. "More rats..." The Death Knight said, spotting Jia and the students.

Magoichi swung a final time at his opponent, hitting nothing but air as the knight vanished from sight. "That is an annoying trick." Hubert observed through gritted teeth. "Jia, Flayn's here and someone else too." Magoichi informed the strategist before walking away deeper into the passageway. "He's not thinking things through." Hubert stated. "No he is not but trust me when I tell you he fights better this way." Jia responded as he approached Flayn and the other girl. He breathed a sigh of relief. "They're both still alive." He revealed to the students, a positive response was shared by all. "Great, now let's go take down that rotten knight." Caspar bellowed.

"Hubert, I entrust you to lead the students this time. I will stay and make sure these girls are kept safe." Jia relayed to the dark mage. "You're tactics will likely be crucial without lady Edelgard or Professor Byleth." Hubert confided and Jia couldn't help but grin. "If I did not think you capable I would not rest such a responsibility on your shoulders." Jia reassured the mage. "Very well, we need to catch up to Professor Saika." Hubert commanded and the assembled student followed him in a jog to catch up to the sharpshooter.

While Jia meant what he said in regard to Hubert's capabilities, the promise he made Flayn not too long ago was a larger factor in his decision. "Please, allow me to help as well." Voiced the Golden Deer's healer Marianne, who place a hand on Flayn. She began to glow with a verdant green aura. "Linhardt and Dorothea will be more than enough to help in battle." Marianne insisted and Jia was never going to argue the point.

"You had friends hiding back here then." Magoichi growled as he found his route forward blocked by soldiers. "Professor Saika, we are here to assist." Hubert announced, the large group of students assembling behind him. "Where's Jia?" Magoichi wondered, keeping his rifle trained on the foes ahead. "He elected to stay back and protect the wounded." Hubert explained. "Looks like I have to be responsible for you kids then." Magoichi complained.

Hubert looked at the marksman unimpressed. "If we push forward together we should beat the enemy with numbers alone." Hubert explained. "I've got a better idea. I'll advance alone and draw the enemy back in small groups, then we can take them down with little fuss." Magoichi offered up his plan. "I do recall Jia mentioning your fondness for ambushes. Very well, I will entrust you with drawing in our enemy." Hubert allowed.

Magoichi marched forward alone, finally in direct sight of the first group of enemies. A duo of swordsmen began to charge at the marksman immediately. Two shots brought their lives to a close before they could even get near him. An arrow shot just wide of the marksman and he fired his own weapon back, hitting the mark and ending the archer.

A dark orb of evil magic struck the other archer and Hubert stood by Magoichi's side. "It is quite irritating when you don't execute the plan you suggested." Hubert muttered angrily. A flash of Pink hair and the spear-man lurking in the flanks suffered a messy end. "For real, how would Manuela feel if you got hurt down here?" Hilda whined.

Flayn and the mystery girl were now sat-up, resting with their backs against the wall. Marianne was currently covering the other girl in her healing magic. Jia examined the girl but could discern nothing of note except her uniform, which indicated she was a student at the monastery. He began to wonder how it was possible for the monastery to lose a student and not seem to notice.

Rapidly approaching footsteps resonated from the passageway they came from. Jia clutched his rod and held his arm out in front of Marianne protectively. He need not have worried as Byleth came to a stop in front of them. "The rest of the students?" She asked and Jia relaxed his stance. "Further in, Magoichi is with them." He explained and Byleth nodded, taking off in a run once more. The distinct sound of a sword being unsheathed could be heard as she vanished from sight.

Hubert no longer trusted Magoichi to fulfil his part of the plan and the combined forces of the Golden Deer and Black Eagles moved forward alongside the marksman. Ignatz and Bernadetta teamed up to pin down the enemy mages, allowing Ferdinand and Lorenz to close the distance and run them down. Meanwhile the melee enemies fell for Caspar's taunt as he roared a challenge at the men. While distracted, Raphael ran to the nearest and grappled with him. In an amazing display of strength, he grabbed his foe by the stomach and lifted him up before slamming him to the ground directly on his head. A sickening crunch sounded and the foe lay on the ground lifeless.

The remaining foe locked up with Caspar, the short boy's axe doing a good job of shielding him from the foe's blows. A blade slipped into the assailant's back, ending him quickly and quietly. "I owe you one Petra." Caspar said, wiping his brow. Petra nodded before rushing to the doorway barring the group's passage. She fiddled with the lock for a moment and with her skills it unlocked with no fuss.

Magoichi was the first through the door, sprinting to close the gap between himself and the lone axeman. With the finesse of a man who served a lifetime in war, the marksman turned to the side causing the axeman to miss his initial swing. An upwards slash from his weapon finished his staggered opponent. A door opened from behind Magoichi, who turned to look at the noise. Out stepped a mage, hand already glowing and a spell ready to be launched. A spear thrust itself through the mage, the spell snuffing out. "Another one down!" Leonie called as she pulled her spear free. "One more!" She cried in realisation and moved out of the doorway. Not a moment later and Ignatz fired his bow into the room. "I-I did it! I did!" He declared and Magoichi assumed the room was now clear.

Another click and Magoichi turned to the doorway to his side. Petra was crouched by it, removing a tool from the keyhole. "We can be moving now." She said barely above a whisper. Magoichi waited for her to back up and once she was s distance from the door he opened it and entered with his weapon extended. An arrow embedded itself in the wall, little above where Magoichi's weapon was. The archer must have fired at the first sign of entry.

Marianne breathed a sigh as the flow of magic began to cease. "They will be fine once we get back to the monastery." She revealed, smiling at her handiwork. "Good job Marianne." Jia praised and the blue haired cleric blushed faintly. "S-should we catch up with the others?" She inquired meekly. "I would rather play it safe and make sure no one bypasses our allies and makes for these two again." Jia explained, gesturing to the still unconscious girls. Marianne looked at him with curiosity. "That seems unlikely..." She trailed off, looking at the ground. "True but I do not know our foes goal, best to er' on the side of caution for now." He elaborated on his earlier point. Marianne for her part kept silent.

Magoichi headed the students as they entered another large chamber, though this one was devoid of enemies. "Saika!" A voice called from behind the students. Byleth approached him, students making way for their young professor. "Byleth, we're about to wrap things up." Magoichi responded. Any sense of butting heads faded away and she nodded in understanding. The response of a soldier to be sure.

Petra had already walked to the final door and unlocked it with practised ease. "That's far enough." A grizzled voice decreed. From the shadows stepped a man armoured from head to toe in crimson plate, spikes adorning his armour around both the shoulders and knees. "Professor, this one seems strong." Hubert cautioned. Byleth gripped her sword and readied to lunge at the newcomer. Magoichi placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to loosen her stance. "I'll deal with this one, just take down that 'Death knight' for me and Manuela." Magoichi insisted. Byleth nodded and made for the door forwards instead.

After one step toward the foe, Magoichi had a hefty spear aimed at him. "Just you?" The knight asked dismissively. "Just me." Magoichi responded, levelling his musket at his rival. The knight was deceptively fast as he darted towards the sharpshooter, spear primed to plunge into his heart. Too bad for the knight that Magoichi was faster and he ducked the blow with the flexibility usually attributed to ninjas. In one fluid motion, Magoichi placed the barrel of his musket next to his foe's stomach and fired.

A low guttural laugh emitted from the knight as the shot did no damage. Magoichi rapidly back-stepped away from the knight, narrowly avoiding an armoured fist that came crashing down towards where he just stood. "Tch, what a pain." He muttered to himself as he wondered how to defeat this particular foe. Two distinct elemental orbs struck to either side of the knight, he staggered backwards in response. "Even the most basic tactical manuals dictate that armoured foes are weak to magic professor." Lysithea chimed in, her hand emitting a light glow from the recently cast spell. To her side was Dorothea, who's hand was likewise glowing in the aftermath of a magical assault.

A few floating runes surrounded their foe. "Already? Shit!" The knight cursed and pointed a finger at Magoichi. "Next time we'll fight alone old-timer." He challenged and Magoichi was perplexed to say the least. That was before the knight disappeared from view altogether and he connected all the dots. "So they can all do that huh." He voiced his thoughts and looked to his two saviours. "Let's hope Byleth has cut down the Death Knight before he does the same." He hoped and led the two girls to the door that Byleth had entered.

The room was small and overcrowded with students, none of whom seemed to be wounded. "We need to leave professor." Hilda stated. Magoichi was about to ask why but the rest of the Golden Deer began to leave the room at Hilda's words, fatigue having seemed to set in. He could ask them later about the details, for now he would settle for ushering the students back above ground.

The Deer were the first to return to Jia and Marianne. "Are the others on their way too?" Jia asked with some concern. Magoichi waved away Jia's worries. "They are, Byleth's with them any way." He revealed. Jia was content with that. "In that case, we should focus on getting Flayn and our new face here above ground." Jia instructed. He himself went to Flayn and placed an arm under her legs and his other supporting her back. With little effort he lifted her and made sure her head rested on him.

Magoichi did the same for the unknown student, though with noticeably more effort. Jia chuckled softly. "Sorry Mago, Flayn's light as a feather." He teased his friend who grinned in response. "No woman's too big a burden for me you know." He shot back casually but noticeably walked at a faster pace than normal as he led the group back to Jeritza's room.

Awaiting the Golden Deer in Jeritza's room were the class leaders. "You found Flayn? Where?" Edelgard was the first to ask, noticing the girl in Jia's arms. "Not just Flayn, we're not sure who this one is." Magoichi commented, nodding at the girl in his arms. "Her identity can wait, first we must get these ladies to the infirmary." Dimitri insisted and held out his arms as an offer take over the burden. As gently as he could muster, Magoichi handed of the unknown girl to the waiting arms of the prince. "Can't let him be the only hero right teach." Claude said and offered to do the same for Flayn. Jia trusted the boy to be quicker about getting her the help she needed then himself and so also gently placed the girl in his arms.

The two future leaders of Fódlan jogged away at a pace that would not aggravate the girls in their arms. "Professor, where are my classmates?" Edelgard finally asked, noticing that only the Golden Deer had returned. "Do not be concerned, we only came ahead for the sake of the wounded." Jia assures. "No one was hurt, they just lagged behind a little." Magoichi chimed in. Edelgard nodded in acknowledgement. Magoichi shortly left to check in with Manuela and the rest of the Golden Deer dispersed, leaving Jia alone with Edelgard.

"Did... Anything unusual happen down there?" The future Empress asked, hesitation lacing her voice. "You will have to ask Byleth, I spent my time caring for Flayn and the other girl." Jia answered honestly. "You did not lead our class down there?" She asked further. "Hubert took the reigns, after all there is little point in teaching you if we do not trust in your skills at some point." Jia explained. Edelgard looked pensive at the revelation.

Before Edelgard could voice her opinion on that, Byleth emerged from the passageway and Edelgard rushed up to the young professor. Jia swore she was going to hug Byleth but alas she showed some restraint and stopped in front of her. "I'm glad you're safe professor." She beamed and Byleth cracked a smile. "Is that... A smile?" Edelgard asked and Byleth turned her face for her to get a better look. "Heh, you look... Happy, I don't think I've ever seen you like this before." Edelgard continued. Jia watched the scene unfold, even he could not recall the former mercenary showing such emotion.

Edelgard shook her head, bringing her down from her high. "Anyhow, we should hurry to Seteth. He must be beside himself by now." She proclaimed. Byleth nodded in response and the two women left to find the worried brother. "They are so cute together." Dorothea sang, watching them leave. Hubert simply left after them, acting as Edelgard's shadow as usual.

The rest of the Eagle began to disband and go their own ways. Jia made a silent vow to check up on Flayn later that day but for now left Jeritza's quarters and made to return to his own. He had a few things to mull over, chief of which being the identity of the other girl they rescued.


	10. Recuperation, and Rumored nuptials

In the desolate landscape outside the confines of time; the camp of humans and mystics was abundant in warriors going about their daily routines. Nu Wa stood holding a feather that shone with a magical aura. "It's not as potent as the one Magoichi used, but it will send someone over there for an hour in our time I guarantee it." Sanzang explained. "The question is, who do we send?" The usually condescending Taigong Wang asked, earning a prolonged silence.

"A ninja would be best, do you think Hanzo would be willing?" Fu Xi offered his opinion. "If we can convince him of its importance maybe." Wang agreed. Even Nu Wa nodded her head in approval. "What are you four babbling about?" The intimidating voice of Lu Bu interrupted, towering over the gathered mystics.

"It will be of no interest to you Fengxian." Wang cautioned. "I will judge that myself." Lu Bu barked in response. An unnatural wind began to blow, and the feather Nu Wa held vanished seemingly into thin air. The purple skinned Fuma Kotaro appeared from nowhere by Lu Bu's side. "Lying to the great Lu Bu, how bold. This will take you to far away lands with foes untold." The Ninja explained, warping the reality of the situation with his words. "Is that so, then I may finally find a decent challenge." The mighty warrior declared, and the gathered mystics did not doubt his intent.

Kotaro began to chant a few key phrases rapidly, and the feather's glowing intensified. He passed the feather to Lu Bu. "It can now take you those new lands, approach the gate with this in hand." He explained and Lu Bu snatched the feather from him. The sound of a sword being unsheathed radiated throughout the camp, and Fu Xi aimed his great-sword at the mighty Lu Bu. "We need to get a message to Guo Jia and Saika Magoichi, I can't let you take our only way of doing so." The mystic warned. Lu Bu scoffed. "You're not even worth my time." He dismissed the mystic, and began to walk away towards the gate.

Without turning to face his foe; Lu Bu blocked the Mystic's strike with his halberd single-handed, locking the two in place. The camp erupted with movement as various warriors made their way to the commotion. With a single mighty thrust, Lu Bu pushed Fu Xi back several paces and continued on his way.

Suddenly Lu Bu was assaulted from the front, locking himself in a stalemate once more. "You won't push me around quite so easy." The flamboyant Maeda Keiji taunted as the ground around the pair of warriors began to crack apart.

If one was watching closely, they would have seen a shadow descend on the pair before promptly disappearing. "This is the cause?" The ninja Hanzo asked Nu Wa, showing her the feather. "Yes... Let us head to the gate." She said, avoiding the assembled crowd and leading the ninja away. "You will be transported to a foreign land, we do not know much about it, but you must track down Guo Jia and Saika Magoichi. Let them know they must find a feather identical to the one used to get them there, that is the first step to get them back home." She relayed her message to the ninja, who nodded in understanding.

Hanzo back-flipped away from the Mystic's side, dodging a blow from the demon Fuma. "How typical of you to get involved." Kotaro taunted, splitting himself in three. Hanzo made an admirable showing of holding off the demon ninja's assault. A gauntleted fist connected with Hanzo's face, stunning him momentarily. His grip of the feather loosened, and it dropped to the ground. The pair of dueling ninjas were too focused on their battle to notice. As such, a dainty hand grabbed the errant object unbeknownst to anyone.

Hanzo had enough with his rival's numerical advantage and threw a smoke bomb to the ground, obscuring him from view. Once the smoke died down, copies of Hanzo appeared and rushed the demon ninja. The ensuing brawl was difficult to keep track of, copies being vanquished only to reappear making it impossible to tell who had the upper hand. Nu Wa dared not interfere, lest she make fighting more difficult for the Tokugawa ninja.

"Silly boys." The ever cheerful Nene stated from Nu Wa's side, causing the mystic to flinch. It was easy to forget that Nene herself was trained in ninjutsu, what with her motherly nature. "Why are they fighting over this little thing?" She asked, and Nu Wa explained the situation to the bubbly ninja. "I could go, what with the others busy." Nene suggested. Nu Wa was hesitant, but ultimately relented. "I must caution you, when over there you will have a day, or little more to fulfil your objective." The mystic stressed. Nene reiterated her words before offering a wave, and jumping through the gate.

Nu Wa returned her attention to the duelling ninjas and heaved a hefty sigh. They were unlikely to finish anytime soon, and now their message lay in the hands of Nene.

Back in Fódlan...

To everyone's surprise, Flayn managed a speedy recovery once she was out of the underground. Jia was on his way to check up on her, both out of concern, and with the hopes of a few blanks being filled in. Upon arriving at the infirmary he was promptly shown to Flayn's bed. Her face beamed at the sudden visit from Jia, and she sat up, the sheet wrapped around her loosening as she did. Jia raised a hand in caution, earning a shake of the head from the girl. "I really am quite fine." She assured him. "Forgive me, a few hours ago it was a different story." Jia explained in return, earning a huff from the girl.

"It is good to see you awake Flayn." He finally admitted with a smile. "Was it truly that dire?" She asked. "A teacher wounded. You kidnapped and rendered unconscious in a passageway no one knew existed. An unknown girl, likewise unconscious wearing a student's uniform." He listed off the events that occurred in such a short amount of time. "I've not encountered such a string of disasters in my time here." Jia finished with a sigh. "I am truly sorry to have worried everyone." She lamented, looking like a kicked puppy.

The strategist put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "It is not something to apologise for, neither was it my intent to garner one." He reassured her. Flayn forced a smile. "What we can do now is attempt to piece together why this happened." Jia moved on, taking a seat on a part of Flayn's bed that was unoccupied by her small frame. "Can you think of a reason you were targeted so?" He asked. Flayn stiffened, a damning reaction if ever there was one. "I am... Special." She revealed. "But that is honestly all I can tell you, please do not pry deeper." She begged, her puppy-like appearance being played up once more.

"So the enemy knew of this, that can narrow it down then, at least." Jia mused aloud, gently rubbing his chin. "If you could, you should discuss people who know of the specifics with someone you trust. Your brother I imagine is one such person." He suggested, earning a nod from the girl. "The underground passageway we found you in, do you know how you got there?" Jia asked the next question easily. "I... Do not recall such place." She answered with a shake of her head. "So; we have to assume you were unconscious before you got there, you're certain you're okay?" He asked with some concern, earning a nod from the girl. "Alright, try not to aggravate an unseen injury." Jia cautioned.

"I must ask also, do you know the girl you were found with?" He asked. "I do not, though I overheard someone mention she is a student from last year." She shared what she could. That made Jia feel uneasy for a number of reasons, but he did not wish to burden Flayn with such things. "I see, thank you Flayn. Now get some rest." He encouraged and got off of her bed. "Please wait." She pleaded. Jia looked her in the eye and waited for her to continue. "I suspect my brother will use this to justify us leaving the monastery, would you be willing to speak to him on that account?" She asked. Jia shook his head. "I am certain you would fair better in that regard." He explained his reasoning.

Flayn played with the edges of the surrounding sheet. "Then, could you be by my side when I speak to him?" She asked, redness tinting her cheeks. "You don't strike me as the sort who needs help to speak to her brother, Flayn." He pointed out. Flayn mumbled something in response. "What was that?" He asked for clarification. "I do not wish to be alone walking the halls." She hurriedly spoke the fact and Jia could understand perfectly why. "I am willing to escort you in that case." Jia offered. "Thank you, I intend to speak to him tomorrow around midday." She revealed. Jia committed the time to memory before leaving the girl to get some rest.

The appointed time rolled around quickly, and Jia walked by Flayn's side as they made their way to Seteth's chambers, coming to a stop in front of them. Speech could be heard from within, it seemed that Seteth already had a visitor. Jia was content to wait out the conversation, but once Flayn's features scrunched up in concern he began to pay attention to what was being said.

"If enemies who know the secret of Flayn's blood have appeared, our only option is to leave the monastery and go into hiding." Seteth spoke and Flayn had enough, barging through the doors. "Brother, Wait." Flayn started. "Flayn?! What are you doing here? You should be resting!" Seteth objected, but Flayn ploughed onwards. "I do not like the path of your thoughts." She continued and a hint of worry began to lace her words. "I do not wish to live in some lonely, remote location where I never get to see anyone. Not ever again." She finished, giving Jia something to ponder on.

Jia's mind stayed on Flayn's words. They offered a reasoning for her sheltered world view, if she had indeed been kept away from the world for most of her childhood. Although if she was related to Rhea as well as Seteth as he suspected, would that not mean there were ample resources to keep her both safe and around others.

The more he thought on it the more questions came to the forefront of his mind. The easiest way to answer most of them would be to confirm Rhea's relationship with either Seteth or Flayn. Easier said than done he was certain. "So, what say you? Can I entrust you with Flayn's safety?" Seteth requested as Jia's thoughts scattered to the winds. "It would be my pleasure." The monotone voice of Byleth answered. "Then it is decided." Seteth announced. Jia was not entirely sure what he meant as he had not been following the conversation. At least it seemed to allow Flayn to stay in the monastery, that should ease her worries.

Both Byleth and Flayn exited Seteth's chambers together, the smaller girl positively beaming. "A most pleasing result." She announced looking towards Jia who simply nodded, having the girl remain was certainly good in his opinion. "May I have a moment with Jia alone?" Byleth asked suddenly and Flayn looked at her nervously. "Why not wait with your brother for a moment?" Jia suggested and Flayn nodded, retreating back to her brother's quarters.

Jia looked at Byleth expectantly. "The other victim, Monica. She is a student from last year." She revealed, looking as passive as ever. Jia waited for her to continue. "They thought she ran away..." Byleth trailed off. "That begs more questions than answers." He admitted with a sigh. Byleth agreed with a nod. "She will rejoin the Black Eagles, so that she can graduate." She revealed further. "Perhaps Edelgard can shed light on her situation then." Jia hoped. Those hopes were promptly dashed when Byleth shook her head. "Not now, an important battle is coming up." She informed him.

The strategist racked his brain for a moment. "The battle of the Eagle and Lion, a contest between houses to prove combat and strategical supremacy." Byleth explained, earning a chuckle from Jia. "I was unaware, It will be a busy month for you and the students then." Jia admitted. "Us, you're the Black Eagle's professor too." Byleth reminded him. "I'm afraid I must bow out of this contest, it would not benefit the students for me to help out in their little game." He smiled softly. "But it would for me?" She asked. "You will be with them for longer than I." Jia confessed, his smile faltering for a moment. "He speaks vaguely again." The voice from before chimed in and Jia chose to ignore her.

"I will inform Edelgard of your decision, until later." Byleth said in farewell, walking past the strategist. Jia got the sense that he offended the woman, even if she did not show it. Still, it was something he could rectify later if need be. He fetched Flayn from Seteth's quarters and escorted her back to the infirmary, transferring her to the care of the healers.

Before the day was through, Jia made a trip to the Dining hall with the intent of obtaining something to pass on to Manuela. He had grabbed a plate of Sautéed Jerky, a dish that could be consumed several days later. The chef for the day had also promised him it was a favourite of the songstress. Next he made the short journey to her quarters.

A quick knock, and Magoichi's voice answered. "Yeah?" He questioned. "It's me Mago'." The strategist answered, and he could hear the marksman move from his place. A moment later, and the door opened. Magoichi stood there, looking worn out. Whether it was from recovering from the fighting or worry, Jia could not say. "You look awful." Jia teased and Magoichi managed to crack a smile. "At least I have an excuse." He fired back, and the pair shared a light chuckle.

Jia's face hardened. "How is she?" He asked. "They got her good, she'll probably have a scar and a lot of discomfort for some time." Magoichi explained, taking a deep breath. "Jeritza, or the death knight. Next time I see him I'll kill him." The marksman vowed coldly and Jia did not doubt he meant it. "Mago', who is it?" A voice asked weakly from within. "Jia." Magoichi answered simply. "I could do with more company..." Manuela trailed off and Magoichi rolled his eyes, retreating from the doorway.

Jia followed closely and was taken aback by the amount of chocolates and gifts surrounding the Songstress' bed. Said Songstress let out a grunt of pain as she shifted to a sitting position on her bed. A look of concern graced Magoichi's features. "You needn't put your body under strain for my sake." Jia assured, earning a shake of the head from her. "I should be able to do at least this dear." She responded and Jia could not help but be amused by her stubbornness. "I brought you some jerky from the kitchens." He revealed, placing the plate by her bedside. "Thank you." She offered, making no attempt to hide her hungry gaze.

"You didn't come here just to see me now did you?" The songstress asked. "You have had me quite concerned." Jia admitted and Manuela rolled her eyes. "Only because of Mago' I bet." She accused with a wink. "I care for all my comrades Manuela." Jia stated in a surprisingly serious tone. Manuela's eyes began to well up, and for a moment Jia feared he miss-stepped. "I'm glad you see me in such a way Jia." She revealed and Jia was confused as to why that would ever be in doubt. He saw no need to press the issue right now.

Magoichi cleared his throat, earning the attention of the others. "It's been almost non-stop well-wishers Jia, want to come back another time?" He requested, and Jia took the hint. "Get back on your feet soon Manuela, else I'll teach your Deer some tricks to pull on you." Jia threatened jokingly in farewell, bowing to the woman. Magoichi escorted Jia out of the room, the sound of Manuela grunting as she lay back down filling the silence.

"She's been treated with a mixture of herbs and healing magic." Magoichi began. "I was warned she might act a little strange." He relayed the information and Jia nodded. "I see, still she seems physically well." Jia admitted and Magoichi agreed. "I will leave the two of you alone then, don't forget to eat." Jia reminded with his farewell, parting ways with the marksman.

A few days had past and life around the monastery had begun to normalize. Both Manuela and Flayn were walking around again, heartening many. In fact had Flayn not begun attending the Black Eagle class one might be forgiven for thinking nothing had even occurred.

Both Edelgard and Jia were having a discussion in the common area connecting the three classrooms. "Are you sure I can not convince you to at least offer advice for our coming battle?" Edelgard pleaded with Jia. "You have that little faith in Byleth?" Jia could not help but tease the future Empress. "That is not the case, I simply do not understand your refusal to help." She countered, other students beginning to look at the pair with interest. "Simply put; I was the lead strategist for Wei long before my lord ascended in rank, it would be most unfair to help students win a game." He explained. "Sorry professor, what do you meant by 'Wei'?" Flayn asked, prompting both Jia and Edelgard to look at the girl.

"Wei I'm told is the name my lord's realm became known as." He explained, earning a confused look from the pair. "An odd choice of wording professor." Edelgard accused. Jia thought for a moment. "How so?" He asked. Edelgard repeated his sentences, and Jia merely laughed. "That does have an odd ring to it. You'll have to forgive me, I've not been feeling too well as of late." He lied easily. "Do you need some water?" Flayn asked, concern for the strategist apparent in her tone. Edelgard however seemed unconvinced, that or cared not. "Get some rest, we'll discuss this another time." She stated, leaving the pair alone.

"You'd best follow her." Jia recommended. Flayn obliged and ran to catch up with her house leader. For his part, Jia decided to walk the grounds to try to straighten his head. After such a simple mistake he began to contemplate if he should forgo interacting further with the students. He quickly threw such thoughts away, it would only be more suspicious to act anti-social all of a sudden.

His wanderings found him inside the entrance hall, where he spotted Dorothea speaking with the Blue Lion: Ingrid. He had not seen the two interact before, so was naturally curious what the two had to talk about. It was easy to assume it was not an overly private conversation due to the location, so he approached with no hesitation.

"Truth be told, there's rather a lot going on. It seems that there's always something to worry about..." Ingrid confessed, looking up at Jia as he reached the pair. "Do continue, I was merely wondering what you were speaking of." Jia spoke easily. "You see, I received a letter from my father recently." Ingrid began. "From Count Galatea? What a kind gentleman to have for a father." Dorothea gushed and Jia assumed the man must have had a reputation for gallantry. "I thank you. But the content within the letter is what I find troubling." Ingrid admitted, handing an opened envelope to Dorothea.

The songstress read the contents of the letter, a scowl gracing her usually angelic features. "I've not met the man, though I've heard his name here and there." She began once more, Jia listening with interest. "He began life as a merchant but has somehow achieved rank in court. An enterprising noble from an allied territory. It's most likely that he wants the Crest of Daphnel that I bear to adorn his family name." She finished her explanation and Jia shook his head. This world certainly put a lot of importance into these crests of theirs.

"Hmm, yes, that sounds about right. The jerk." Dorothea all but spat, and before now Jia would have sworn the woman would never offer such a reaction. "You sound as though you know him. Do you?" Ingrid asked, and the Songstress' features softened. "Yes, I must admit that I know him. He tried to court me when I was a singer. Best advice I can give you, Ingrid? Stay far, far away from this guy." Dorothea warned. "He's offered a sizeable dowry, so I must at least consider it–for the sake of my family." Ingrid countered.

"Dowry? Ha! Blood money. That's all it is." Dorothea nearly shouted, earning a few stares from the nearby guards. "Dorothea, I–" Ingrid began, being cut off. "This jerk's entire fortune is soaked in blood. Do you want to rebuild your own house using that kind of money? I mean, it's all just rumours, but I think it still might be worth investigating." Dorothea suggested, clearly not wanting her friend to marry such a character. "What do you think, Professor? Should we go check this guy out?" The songstress asked Jia who masked his surprise, he was not expecting his input to be needed.

"If you feel so strongly about his lack of morals, I lean towards doing what we can to prevent anyone from marrying such a man." Jia answered with a nod. Ingrid looked away in embarrassment. "Great, let's go fetch Ingrid's classmates." Dorothea decreed. "Uh, really? Okay..." Ingrid relented and joined in the rounding up of the Lions.

Jia was the last to arrive at the gates, Ashe and Annette in tow. "So, it's true you'll be joining us for this trip." Dimitri observed, smiling at the strategist's appearance. "If what Dorothea suspects is true, it would be irresponsible to leave students alone to deal with such a threat." Jia confessed. "I believe a mere merchant would be easy for us to handle, none of us are novices after all." The prince noted, a frown tugging at the edge of his lips. "An unknown enemy is never easy to deal with Dimitri, if you're going to lead your kingdom someday you should keep that in mind." Jia cautioned, causing the boy to stiffen. "As you say." Dimitri agreed before leaving to saddle his horse.

Jia watched him retreat, and shook his head lightly. As well-meaning as his advice was, he feared he may have taken the wrong approach in his instruction. "He'll get over it, and likely forget about it." The swordsman Felix assured quietly. "Would you be kind enough to remind him of such things if he does? Emperors, or kings, both need reminding of the simple things at times." He explained, earning a shake of the head from Felix. "He's too pig-headed to listen to me, better you drill the lesson in." The swordsman confessed, and Jia merely sighed. He suspected he would not be around long enough to do so, but could hardly tell the boy that. The conversation was promptly dropped, and Dimitri led the Lions out of the main gate.

As was the norm at this point Jia rode a short distance behind the main group, allowing the students to bond with each-other during the ride. It remained that way until around the halfway point, when the woman of the hour slowed her mare's pace to ride beside Jia. "All of this fuss over me, I'm not used to it." Ingrid admitted. "No? I was under the impression most nobles of Fódlan were doted upon." Jia asked, most information he received indicating as such. "Not always, my family has been in decline for the greater part of a generation. Hence the hope for me to marry a wealthy suitor and aid in raising our status." She explains, and Jia felt a twinge of sympathy for the girl.

An idea struck Jia then, one he decided to voice immediately. "If finance is the main factor for a suitor and not birth, may I suggest Dorothea?" He suggested, and Ingrid's face paled at the suggestion. "P-professor, that is inappropriate." She chastised, which caused Jia to be genuinely confused by the reaction. "I suppose Dorothea is more interested in having someone care for her, instead of winning the household's bread." He noted, rubbing his chin. Ingrid declined to comment further, and hurried to join back up with the others. 'Odd girl' Jia thought as they continued their journey.

The heat began to rise as the Blue Lions neared their destination, and it soon became apparent why. After ascending a ridge, the landscape changed drastically to one which was ravaged with flowing lava. Jia began to sweat profusely, never being a fan of extreme temperatures. "A little further." Ingrid announced as they descended into the hellish landscape. "Hold a moment." Jia requested through his laboured breaths, and the students stopped. "Dorothea, how bad is this merchant?" The strategist asked, doing his utmost to show no signs of his poor constitution. "There's a reason I did not want Ingrid and I to do this alone." She revealed, doing a stellar job of not showing worry for the strategist.

"In that case; if I may borrow Annette and Felix, I believe I can save us all some trouble" He stated, earning confused looks. "Very well." Felix agreed easily. Seeing this, Annette quickly agreed too. "We'll not keep you waiting in this heat for too long." Ingrid promised, leading her entourage onwards.

Both Felix and Annette looked to Jia expectantly. "Follow me and keep silent." He commanded, dismounting his horse and allowing it to flee to less hazardous ground. Felix and Annette likewise dismounted, though their horses were purely for transport in the first place. Jia led the two to a secluded spot, and there they would wait until the time was right.

Much time past, and Ingrid had finally found the evidence to support Dorothea's claims. The company of students returned to the inhospitable lands where they had left their professor behind. "I knew the guy was shady, but he truly is monstrous. Definitely no good for my Ingrid!" Dorothea declared, bringing a smile to Ingrid's lips. "No kidding, it will be difficult to deny this." Ingrid agreed.

A malicious laugh rang out. "Hold on a minute brats." A sinister voice bellowed, the students immediately grabbing for their weapons. A handful of cloaked figures appear throughout the valley. "Now, hand over the girl before things get violent." The apparent leader warned, twirling a dagger in an attempt at intimidation. "Surely you don't mean me..." Ingrid trailed off, looking at the assembled rogues.

"I don't think we have to worry Ingrid." Dorothea said cheerfully, and Ingrid looked at where Dorothea did. Standing upon raised terrain, were Jia, Felix and Annette. With them was a fourth figure, being held up on his knees by Felix. "Truly it is in your best interest to let the kids go, unless you want your financier to vanish." Jia threatened, the time to be subtle long gone.

The lead rogue gritted his teeth in frustration, thankfully it seemed he was not as foolish as to fight with no incentive. "Name your terms." He requested reluctantly. "Allow my students to withdraw, and then I may release your master." Jia offered, a generous deal by anyone's standards. A tense moment flew by. "Men, let 'em go." He ordered, and one by one the assembled rogues lowered their weapons.

"Professor-" Dorothea began, before being cut off. "We will meet you back at Garreg Mach, have some faith." Jia assured her, and she joined the others in marching past the enemy. Jia waited several minutes after the Blue Lion had left his sight before gesturing for Felix to drop their captive, which he did with some force. "That's it, we're all going to leave without even a scrap?" The lead rogue asked in surprise. "For today, there is little point in killing each-other for nothing wouldn't you agree?" Jia asked in return, hoping the rogue would not spot his efforts to hide his fatigue. "Guess not." The rogue grumbled in return, and the strategist and his remaining students were allowed to leave unmolested.

The trio left the wasteland, and not a few steps into the lush grassland of before they were reunited with their waiting mounts. "What good horses." Annette cooed as she stroked her horse's muzzle. Jia wasted little time in mounting his own, and giving it an affectionate pat on the neck. His clothes were evidently soaked with sweat. "Professor, are you going to be able to make the trip?" Felix asked suddenly, and Jia simply smiled. "Of course." He replied, though truthfully the need for rest practically screamed inside his head. "We can take it slow if you like?" Annette offered, and Jia shook his head. "The sooner we return to Garreg Mach, the better." Jia explained simply, and reluctantly the two students agreed.

The ride back to the monastery was uneventful, and the three rode through the gate uncontested. Felix offered to stable Jia's horse, which the strategist gratefully accepted. He opted to make his way back to his quarters and recover his strength before anything else could happen. Alas, on the way through the main hall he spied Dorothea and Ingrid once again. The latter of which flagged him over.

"Professor, you have my thanks for your help today." Ingrid stated, smiling at the strategist. "Anytime." Jia accepted, returning the smile. "I dread to think the conflict we might have endured had you not been there." She confessed, rubbing the back of her head. "No point in worrying now Ingrid." Dorothea added in good spirits. "You should write you your father immediately though, I don't want to have to fend off another attempt on my Ingrid." She suggested defensively, earning a good-natured chuckle from the knight. "Of course." She agreed, and left the two of them to fulfil said obligation.

Jia began his farewells as well, but Dorothea stopped him. "Ingrid tells me you suggested I might be a viable suitor for her?" She asked carefully, not quite looking him in the eye. "Apologies, with the prior connection, I thought an underlying spark may have existed." Jia hastily explained. Dorothea merely sighed. "If she did not have that crest of hers it might have been possible, but." She stopped suddenly, as if looking for the right words. "She needs to try to pass that crest to the next generation." Jia finished her thoughts, the reasoning becoming apparent. "Yeah." Dorothea confirmed sadly.

An uncomfortable silence settled between them. "Perhaps I should stop interfering in your search." Jia tried to joke and break the tension, but it did not work. "You can always offer to whisk me away professor." She suggested weakly, the previous topic taking away her usual vigour that accompanies such an offer. "I've been over that..." He responded lamely. "Vaguely at best professor." She corrected. "The fact remains that I must return home someday, I can not take you with me." Jia explained further.

Dorothea rolled her eyes. "And yet Magoichi has no such issue when it comes to Manuela." She countered. "Tha-" Jia stopped himself, there was no need to reveal Magoichi's short-sightedness, or his womanising tendencies for that matter. "Sorry, I don't mean to interfere as much as I have." He settled for apologizing to the young woman. "I'm sorry too, it's been rough lately." She admitted, relaxing her stance. "Until later professor." She said in farewell, and departed in the direction of her room. 'That could have gone better.' Jia silently admitted to himself, before returning to his own quarters.

The following morning arrived, and Jia still felt the effects of the previous day's excursion. None-the-less, Jia made his way to the Black Eagles classroom on the off chance his guidance could prove useful. "Ah, there you are professor." Edelgard noted, approaching him immediately. "It seems word of your refusal to assist in the coming battle has reached Lady Rhea's ears, she has asked for you to meet with her as soon as you are able. She is in the cathedral, I believe." She relayed the information, earning a sigh from the strategist. Edelgard chuckled. "I'm sure you can survive a little chastisement professor." She promised. Jia chuckled easily enough, though it sounded off to the future Empress.

Jia left her no time to question him, as he left in the direction of the cathedral. He arrived promptly, and Rhea was stood in conversation with both Seteth and Jeralt. Jia approached, announcing his arrival as he did. "Ah, the man in question." Seteth noted. "I am glad you could make time to speak with me." Rhea greeted with a bow, which Jia returned. "And what is it you needed?" He asked. "Jeralt has done well in fulfilling his latest mission, as such he will be able to attend this year's battle of the Lion and Eagle." She began. "You'll be able to watch your daughter then, you must be happy." Jia said, cracking a smile. "That I am, but that's not the important part." He replied with a smile of his own.

Rhea cleared her throat to snatch Jia's attention back to her. "Due to your desire to keep the contest so pure, I thought you might be willing to take part in a different competition." She explained, and Jia gestured for her to continue. "With both yourself and Jeralt as commanders, you shall choose officers to join you and compete in a mock-battle of your own. After the students of course." She finished, awaiting an answer. "An interesting proposal, but the obvious question is for what purpose?" The strategist enquired.

Rhea smirked, an unusual expression for the holy woman. "There are several, But I shall give you the two most pressing." She began, and Jia waited patiently. "The first, is it shall serve as a valuable lesson to the students. Jeralt will prove an ideal demonstration of leadership, and you, I expect to expertly demonstrate the advantages of utilizing tactics on the field of battle." She finished her first point, and Jia nodded. It certainly made sense.

"The second is one I would have you keep quiet until the day of the battle." She cautioned. "Understood." Jia consented, prompting Rhea to continue. "There are lower levels of Garreg Mach, which you may recall from Flayn's incident. The greater area is known as the Abyss, and is home to a fourth smaller class of students. The Ashen Wolves." She explained, and Jia had several questions already. He held them in, as Rhea began to continue. "It is my intention to integrate this class with the other three, and what better way to demonstrate their capabilities than showing them off for all to see." She finished.

"That certainly has merits... Very well, how will the sides be chosen?" Jia asked, and Rhea positively beamed in response. It reminded the strategist of Flayn, if only for a moment. "I shall assemble eligible combatants, and have Jeralt and yourself choose from them in three days time." She answered easily, evidently having planned this for longer than initially thought. "If that is all then?" Jia asked cautiously, and after receiving a nod dismissed himself from the group.

While Jia certainly did not expect such a task, he would certainly rise to the occasion. First things first, he headed off to seek out the Abyss, and have a conversation with these 'Ashen Wolves'. It always paid to know your potential allies, or enemies in advance after all...


	11. Prelude to battle

Abyss was not as hard to find as Jia first thought. In fact, all it took was one shady merchant to lead him there. The tunnels below Garreg Mach were more intricate than Jia could have ever thought, what with having more or less a whole town contained within them. No wonder the church's foes could so easily snatch Flayn away.

"Hey you." A rough voice called, and Jia looked at the caller. "You shouldn't stay down here." The man warned. "I'll be sure to leave once I've met with the Ashen Wolves." Jia responds, offering an easy smile. The man chuckled in turn. "You'll be alright if you're with them, They're down by the classroom." The man helpfully informed. Jia gave his thanks, before heading in the indicated direction.

Apart from some odd stares, Jia made it to the Ashen Wolves' classroom with no issue. He was in luck, as four students were assembled within. Noticeably, their uniforms were different in style to those of the other three houses. The main difference was the colour, all of them wearing predominantly white. They also seemed to have more liberties with how they dressed, as each student had their own personal flair to their outfit.

"Yuri-bird, someone's here." The red-headed girl said, getting the attention of the shorter of the two men present. "So there is, can we help you?" He asked, raising a brow. "I believe so, are you the Ashen Wolves?" Jia inquired, feeling no need to beat around the bush. The large man stepped forward, and pounded his chest. "We sure are pal, who's asking?" He boasted.

"Guo Jia, I help teach the Black Eagle class at the monastery." Jia explained. It did not have the desired effect, as quite noticeably the students tensed up. "And what do you want from us?" The smaller man asked, taking charge of the conversation for the wolves. "Rhea plans to merge the Ashen Wolves with the houses above." Jia began. "Nope, not interested." The red-head responded instantly. Jia couldn't help but chuckle. "Just like that?" He asked, getting only a nod in response from the girl.

"Hold a moment, Hapi does not speak for all of us." A blonde, refined looking young woman chimed in. "Yeah hold on Hap, we can't say no before he's even asked for anything." The big man added. Hapi shook her head, taking a seat in the corner. 'At least she hasn't left' Jia thought to himself. "As I was saying, in order to make you more well known, she intends to allow you to take part in an auxiliary skirmish on the day of the battle of the eagle and lion." Jia elaborated on his earlier point.

"All right, now we're talking!" The large man cheered, slamming his fists against one another. "Control yourself Balthus. Though I will confess, a chance to show off my magic will be most welcome!" The blonde woman joined in Balthus' cheer. The shorter man clicked his tongue, getting them to stop. "Who else is involved?" He asked. "Rhea mentioned picking from eligible officers, my guess? Knights of Seiros." Jia answered.

"If sides are going to be picked, there's no guarantee we'll all fight on the same one." The man stated, and Jia nodded. "That is true, but I suspect Jeralt will be unwilling to pick those he is unfamiliar with." Jia explained. "Jeralt? The Blade-breaker?" The man asked, a little off-put. "Correct, he'll be the rival commander." Jia confirmed. A laugh escaped the man. "Forget it, we'll not be able to beat him." He said, shaking his head dismissively.

"With me in charge, you most assuredly can." Jia promised easily. "Come on Yuri, not every day you get the chance to fight a legend!" Balthus attempted to recruit his friend. "... Fine." Yuri relented. "I don't mind up-staging the church." Hapi added, changing her tune from earlier. Already Jia was beginning to understand where her main motive was.

"Motives aside, I look forward to learning what you can do." Jia said with a grin, before bowing in farewell. "Hold." The blonde demanded as he turned away from the group. Jia looked back at her with a puzzled expression. "I am Constance of the noble house Nuvelle, remember my name well for I shall reign supreme over the battle to come!" She introduced herself with vigour. With the final name committed to memory, Jia finally left the Ashen Wolves, and Abyss to themselves for the time being.

By the time Jia returned to the monastery, the sky made the world almost as dark as the underground. Feeling no need to suppress the need for sleep, Jia made straight for his quarters. Once he reached said quarters, her noticed the door slightly ajar. Honestly, if it wasn't for the recent attack on Flayn he would have thought little of it. With caution, Jia opened his door. A quick scan around the room revealed nothing out of place. Perhaps a maid had been cleaning earlier, and simply forgot to close the door correctly?

Jia decided not to dwell on it overly long, and sat on his bed. He stretched his limbs to their limit, and loosed his clothing. "D-don't get naked just yet!" An energetic voice called, and a shadow dropped from the ceiling. With a level head, Jia looked at the figure. It was a short woman, whose features were hard to make out due to the yellow face-covering she wore. Come to think of it, her entire garb looked like that of the samurai's ninjas.

Several moments of silence rested between the pair. "Jia, I've brought you a message from Nu Wa." The ninja broke the silence, and her voice certainly sounded familiar. "I would have preferred to tell both you and Mago, but the patrols are a little more rigorous than I expected." She explained. So, she knows him and Magoichi. That's no coincidence. "Are you listening to me? Naughty children get punished you know!" She chastised him, and finally the dots connected.

"Nene?" Jia asks carefully, and the ninja nodded. "How are you even here?" Jia questioned, doubting the soundness of his own mind. "Nu Wa sent me silly." Nene answered easily. "But why you?" He asked further. There were several people he could think of off the top of his head more suited to such a task. At the very least, Nene had stealth mastered.

"It's really not important." Nene huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "The important part is that you and Mago know how to get home." She began, and Jia's expression became more serious. "There is a way then?" He probed carefully. "Yup, she gave me a feather to bring me here. Find another like it, and you can come back home!" She announced happily. "I see, do we need one for each of us?" Jia asked. Nene rubbed the back of her head nervously. That's a bad sign. "Umm, Nu Wa just said to find one, and that would put you on the right track." Nene responded with a giggle.

"I see." Jia noted calmly, closing his eyes to contemplate. Silence rested between the two of them, causing Nene to fidget. "Hmm, come to think of it. How are you returning?" Jia asked as the thought occurred to him. "Easy, Nu Wa said I'd be summoned back in a day or two by this realm's time." She explained. Now that was an odd word choice. "This realm's time?" Jia asked, raising a brow.

"It's a bit weird, but as far as I understand time goes faster here. A lot faster." She explained the best she could. That was an interesting concept that Jia had simply not considered before. "How long has it been over there?" Jia had to ask. "About five days." Nene revealed.

Jia could not control himself, and he laughed at the revelation. "So, a month here is a day back home." He mused, causing Nene to furrow her brow. "You've been here five months?" She asked with amazement. Jia nodded his confirmation. "It hasn't been boring though, if you're stuck here for the rest of the evening, care for me to share our adventure?" Jia asked. Nene nodded, and sat in Magoichi's now permanently vacated bed.

Jia spent most of the night regaling to her their adventures in Fódlan, at least thus far. Far too soon, the need to sleep overpowered Jia. As much as he wanted to share more, he could not this night. "Sorry Nene, I do need some sleep." Jia said with a yawn, and Nene understood. "Can I rest here?" Nene simply asked, patting Magoichi's former bed. A quick confirmation, and the two settled in to sleep.

It was near midday when Jia was finally awakened by a knocking at his door. Groggily, he got to his feet. The light currently filling the room told him he shouldn't be this resistant to waking, but damn it he needed to recharge. Forcing himself to the door, he opened it to reveal Edelgard.

"I don't recall having plans to teach today." Jia said plainly, not bothering with his usual airs. "You don't, however you are needed in the cathedral. Everyone else of relevance is waiting on you." Edelgard explained, her tone giving little away as to the purpose of such a gathering. Jia gestured for Edelgard to lead the way. "Ah, you're not going to arrive like this surely?" Edelgard protested. A quick glance down revealed Jia's clothes showing the telltale signs of being slept in.

"I need to look important then?" Jia asked, content to look as he did for the time being. "You do also represent the Black Eagles..." Edelgard said. "I'll wait out here, just make yourself look a little presentable." She urged, moving to wait at a nearby window.

Jia closed the door, and re-entered the room. Nene sat upon her bed looking at him with a questioning expression. "She is right of course." Jia joked, but Nene's face remained the same. "That is Edelgard, I spoke of her last night." Jia explained briefly, moving to his dresser. "Look away unless you want me to steal you from Hideyoshi." Jia teased, getting out of his current attire. Nene for her part did turn to face the wall while he stripped.

It wasn't until Jia was halfway through donning his red outfit that Nene spoke. "Does she seem lonely to you?" Nene asked. Jia did not answer straight-away, patting out the creases in his clothes. Jia chose to ask for clarification. "She just seems so sad." Nene tried to explain. "I understand what you mean, though I doubt I can remedy such a thing." Jia replied honestly. He was ready to face the world now, but waited for Nene to respond.

"It's just a feeling I have, don't worry about it!" Nene assured, perking up. She quickly got to her feet and smoothed out a few creases that Jia had missed. "I'll probably return by the time you get back, so don't go hunting for me." Nene reminded him of her circumstances, and Jia nodded. "Before I go then, it's worth telling Nu Wa to look for a way to get us back on her end too." Jia said. He was fairly sure Nu Wa was looking into things on her side anyway, but making sure they were all on the same page couldn't hurt.

With a quick, silent farewell, Jia left his room to rejoin Edelgard. "Much better." She noted with a smile. Jia thought it looked a little forced, but chalked it up to practised politeness that nobles tended to have. Edelgard led the way, and a silence rested between them. "Am I right in assuming you know what this gathering is about?" Jia asked, breaking the silence. "I am told you know, while the rest of us will find out once you arrive." Edelgard explained. The only thing Jia could think of was the upcoming mock-battle between Jeralt and himself, but this is a lot quicker than Rhea had initially said.

"I see." Jia responded simply, keeping his thoughts to himself. More silence. The pair reached the bridge that led to the cathedral, and Edelgard came to a stop. "May I ask something, before we meet the others?" She questioned, looking around to make sure no one else was present. "I heard another voice coming from your room this morning." She revealed, looking serious. Jia remained expressionless, waiting for her to continue. "You don't seem the sort to have a mistress, who was she?" She asked.

"Is that all you want to know?" Jia asked in return. "For now, it will suffice." She responded. "A friend from my homeland, she was sent to check in on me." Jia explained as honestly as he could. "Why?" Edelgard pressed, earning a smirk from the strategist. "May I suggest we play this game after our meeting with Rhea and the others?" Jia suggested, gesturing towards the cathedral. Edelgard didn't seem to like that, but relented. She led the way across the bridge.

The pair entered the cathedral, and a whole host of others are already present. There was of course Rhea and Seteth, standing at the head. The other house leaders waited off to the side of them. Scattered around were the more notable knights of Seiros. Alois was laughing merrily as he spoke to Shamir, while Catherine simply smiled at their antics. Jeralt himself was stood with his arms crossed, looking at Jia expectantly. To Jia's surprise, Manuela was present beside the other professors: Hanneman and Byleth. Of course Magoichi was also by her side, he looked as if nothing was going to change that either. Lastly, clumped together in the corner are the Ashen Wolves.

Seteth loudly cleared his throat, earning the attention of all present. "Thank you for answering our summons." He began, and those present began to gather directly in front of the two holy figures. "Now you may be wondering why exactly we're here, well Rhea will explain that to you now." He explained, moving a step from Rhea. "Thank you Seteth, I have an exciting announcement for all of you today." Rhea began with cheer, clasping her hands together.

"As you all know, the Battle of the Eagle and Lion is fast approaching." She offered a light smile in the direction of the house leaders. "This year however, another battle shall also take place. Jeralt, Jia, please join me." She requested, and both Jeralt and Jia took steps forward until they were flanking Rhea on either side. "Jeralt and Jia will both be choosing their forces today, and take part in a mock battle of their own for the benefit of all our students." She finished her explanation.

Jia could not keep a smirk from showing, as each of the house leaders had amusing looks of confusion pasted on their faces. After a moment for the news to set in, Rhea quickly started once more. "Now, Jeralt will choose first." Rhea gestured to the former mercenary. Jia was more than content to let his opponent choose first, after all he already suspected how the teams would end up.

"Saika Magoichi." Jeralt named his first choice. While Jia managed to keep a straight face, he did not exactly expect his friend to even be considered as part of this process. "Me? Alright." Magoichi responded with a light chuckle as he walked to stand beside Jeralt, though not before a peck on the cheek from Manuela. "And your pick, Jia?" Rhea asked softly. "Yuri." Jia answered firmly, and the picks kept coming until both teams were decided.

In the end, apart from Magoichi Jeralt did not stray outside the knights. His team consisted of Magoichi, Alois, Catherine, and Shamir. Jia's team meanwhile, was Yuri, Balthus, Constance, and Hapi. "With both sides decided, I wish you all luck on the day of the battle." Rhea said with a light bow of her head. She then left the room with little fanfare alongside Seteth.

"We will be down in the Abyss, if you need to discuss things." Yuri informed Jia, leading the rest of his team away from the church. Jia would no doubt have to run them through his plans, but that was not an immediate necessity. No, his immediate concern was a certain emperor to be who still wanted some answers.

"Walk with me." Edelgard instructed. Jia was not about to kick up a fuss, and so simply offered a bow of farewell to his opponents before obeying her. Once feet touched the bridge, Edelgard began asking her question again. "I believe I asked why someone from your homeland would feel the need to check up on you?" She did not break her stride.

"We do have friends back home you know." Jia joked, though Edelgard seemed not in the mood. A sigh escaped from him. "Due to circumstances beyond anyone's control, Mago and I are likely to be here for a while longer." He explained, forcing Edelgard to stop. "You're not going to explain further?" She asked disapprovingly. "I'm not even aware of the full scale of things." He easily blurred the reality of the matter. Edelgard shook her head. "Another matter then, why did you discuss me?" She asked. Jia couldn't help but chuckle. "We only discussed you because you were there." He explained easily.

"It was jarring to hear someone I do not know speak of me in such a way." She confessed, causing Jia to arch a brow. "What exactly was surprising to you?" Jia asked, though he was fairly sure what Nene said to shake the girl. Edelgard cleared her throat, and donned a serious expression. "It doesn't matter now, thank you for tolerating my questions Jia." She said, giving a bow of her own before leaving. Jia watched her retreat. Not the most subtle way to avoid talking further, but effective nonetheless.

With Edelgard gone, there was only one thing really on Jia's mind. He should visit the Ashen Wolves, and begin to lay down the groundwork for his plans. The Abyss was easier to find this time, and he navigated it with ease. No one seemed to give him a second glance as he approached the makeshift classroom. The four students from before are chatting idly, only looking to Jia when he cleared his throat.

"Well that was fast." Balthus commented, and looked to Yuri nervously. "You can pay me back later." Yuri said with a sigh, clearly not the first time such an exchange had happened. Jia simply smiled, the four of them reminding him of his own comrades at one point. "So, Jia. You're here with your plan yes?" Yuri asked, snapping him from his thoughts.

"Several, I simply need to know how you wish to approach the battle." Jia began, earning looks of curiosity from each of those present. "Conventional tactics on the field of battle will suffice in besting Jeralt, he likely underestimates us after all." He made his way to the front of the make-shift classroom, and all eyes remained on him. "But, if you're not confident in that. We can try something a little more cunning, but I'll need all of you to help me prepare." He finished.

"What manner of preparations?" Yuri asks, stroking his chin, the sight reminding Jia a little too much of Jia Xu. "I will drill you all in the training grounds, and we will butt heads constantly." Jia began, and allowed himself a chuckle. "Maybe even have you storm off, not to train under me again." He finished. "How will that help us?" Hapi asked. "We'll give off the impression we're not likely to work as a team, making us seem even weaker." Yuri explained before Jia had the chance. "Exactly." He confirmed.

"I still don't get how that will help." Balthus said, and while Yuri sighed, Jia appreciated the honesty. "On its own, it won't do much. Trust me when I say it will open up new strategies on the day of the battle." He elaborated a little. Balthus didn't look entirely convinced, but seems content to trust him. "Alright then, I doubt the training grounds will have the audience we desire today, how about tomorrow we start with our little show?" Yuri asked, and no one had any objections. "Tomorrow it is." Jia agreed. After leaving the Wolves with a time to meet the next day, Jia returned to the monastery.

"Tomorrow is no doubt going to be tiresome." Jia thought to himself as he approached his quarters. Curiously, his door seemed to be left ajar. He was certain he left it closed when he left earlier? Now of course, Nene could have left it open when she left, but Jia thought she would remain in the room. Jia placed a hand on the door, and gave it just strong enough push to open it.

He allowed himself a smile at the sight of who awaited him. "I wasn't expecting anyone, can I help you?" He asked. A moment of silence passed, before Byleth simply nodded her answer...


	12. Side Story: Nene

A/N - Metal Vile made a valid point about Nene not really getting to do much, I intend to fix that with this quick chapter.

The spinning sensation faded, and Nene steadied her footing. A quick glance around, and she confirmed she was back at camp. "Ah, Nene." Nu Wa said, quickly walking in front of her. "Mission success!" Nene declared, all smiles in front of the mystic. "So Jia, and Magoichi both know how to return home?" Nu Wa asked, wanting to be absolutely sure she spoke the truth. A nervous chuckle told Nu Wa all she needed to know.

One quick explanation later.

"So Jia knows he needs to find a feather, but he doubts it will be easy? Well that is a start at least." Nu Wa repeated what she was told, and Nene simply nodded. "I suppose that is a victory, especially as you went unseen." Nu Wa decided, and Nene's refusal to look her in the eye spoke volumes. "What happened?" Nu Wa asked, her tone dictating she wanted no jokes.

Nene took a deep breath, and related the truth of her tale...

She was transported to the outskirts of Garreg Mach, making her journey short. Of course, she still needed to be stealthy. Fortunately; the large numbers of those flocking to the castle made it easy for her to infiltrate. Once inside, she stuck to shadowy places, very rarely having to stay in one spot for more than a few seconds.

Nene may have gotten away without being seen, had her motherly instinct not kicked in. She was just about to attempt to cross the bridge to the cathedral, when she overheard a boy wearing a yellow cloak scheming with an uninterested friend. "And if it works just right, she'll be itchy for the next few days." The boy said in hushed tones, barely containing a snigger.

"Now that's not nice!" Nene said with some authority, revealing herself to the golden-cloaked boy. To his credit, he simply turned around to look at her. "Um, who are you?" He asked innocently. A rather noble looking boy, with purple hair shakes his head in dismay. "It seems you've been rumbled, Claude." The noble announced with a smirk, causing Nene to grin smugly.

"Fine, sorry mystery lady." Claude said flippantly, and began to leave. "Hold it!" Nene shouted, and before anyone could do anything, her hand was on Claude's ear. "You need to apologize to whoever this was meant for." Nene demanded, and Claude winced, clearly not used to be handled in such a way. "Ow, seriously? I never succeeded even. Ouch! Alright!" Claude relented, and Nene let her grip on his ear fall. Claude beat a hasty retreat, while the noble allowed himself a chuckle.

"I say, it's not common for him to be bested. You have my thanks for that." The noble made a show of bowing to Nene. She rewarded him with a pat on the head, surprisingly gently enough not to mess up his hair. A light blush spreads upon his cheeks as he stood tall once more. "Ah, that was." The noble cleared his throat, seeming to compose himself "That is to say, if you even need assistance, Lorenz of House Gloucester will gladly provide it." Lorenz finished, finally introducing himself.

"Oh, do you know a Saika Magoichi? Or Guo Jia?" She chanced to ask, after all; she had already been seen. "Oh? Curious about our newest professors? I am somewhat acquainted with Professor Saika, though I believe he is presently indisposed." Lorenz explained, earning a pout from Nene. "Professors? What are those boys up to?" Nene questioned herself internally. "Miss?" Lorenz asked, Nene spacing out for a tad too long. "Sorry." Nene replied sweetly. "You've been a great help!" She quickly said with cheer. Lorenz did not have a chance to say his farewells, when Nene left his company.

"So, Jia and Mago' are teaching something here." Nene mused to herself in silence, easily blending with the shadows despite her bright outfit. Or rather she did, until she reached a cross-way in the halls. She absent-mindedly crossed through the centre of the hall, and unfortunately for her, she wasn't alone in those halls. She came to a sudden stop, as her chest pressed up against the back of a girl similar in height to herself. "Oh!" The girl exclaimed, clearly dropping something.

Nene made to retreat into the shadows, but stopped herself. Seeing the girl rush to pick-up her belongings, a few books in this case, held her in place. "Sorry." She squeaked out, helping the girl to her feet. "It is fine, my belongings are intact." The girls said, standing straight. Nene could not control herself, and she straightened out the handful of creases in the girls clothes. "There, good as new." She declared, beaming merrily at her handiwork.

"Most kind of you." She said in thanks, smiling in turn. "I'm sorry, have we met?" She asked, beginning to think of a name to place to the woman in front of her. "Nope, I'm Nene!" She introduced herself with pep, before tensing up. While nothing was explicitly stated, she probably shouldn't be known by the locals. "Nene? By your attire, I'm guessing you're part of the Golden Deer house, correct?" The girl asked, not seeming to notice Nene's sudden tenseness.

"M-maybe?" Nene answered, unsure of what the girl meant. "You don't know?" The girl asked, before a thought shone behind her eyes. "Ah, are you perhaps new here?" She asked. Nene paused for a moment, quickly deciding to roll with it. "I am, I was told to see a professor Jia?" Nene asked carefully, doing her best to act the naïve student.

The girl claps her hands together, seemingly delighted with the information. "Excellent, then perhaps you will be joining the Black Eagles? I joined them recently, it would be nice to have someone else as new as I." The girl rambled on, and Nene patiently sat through her words. "Ah, I'm getting ahead of myself aren't I?" She asked rhetorically, before shaking her head. "I am Flayn, and I would be glad to show you around. I will be your senior after all." Flayn introduced herself, excitement still radiating from her.

"What a good girl you are, but I really should see professor Jia as soon as possible." Nene responded, resisting the urge to pat the girl on the head. Flayn's expression did not falter in the slightest. "I quite understand, perhaps he is in his quarters? I can show you if you would like?" Flayn offered. "Please." Nene responded softly, and Flayn dutifully led her through several hallways as well as up a few stairways.

"... And this is it. Garreg Mach can be a little hard to navigate at first, but it all makes sense after a while." Flayn finished her explanation, still as cheerful as when she started. Nene for her part, was impressed by just how much the girl knew. Flayn knocked softly on the door that led to Jia's quarters, and the two waited patiently. After a minute, Flayn sighed. "It would seem I was incorrect." She said with some defeat.

"There there, if I wait, then Jia will appear eventually right?" Nene said encouragingly, gently rubbing Flayn's shoulder. She did seem to perk up at that. "That is true, would you like my company as you wait?" She asked. "I should probably speak to him alo-" Nene was cut off. "Flayn! There you are." A masculine voice called. Nene turned to look at the source, and a stern looking man, with similar hair to Flayn's was approaching them.

He stopped in front of the pair. "We've been over this, someone needs to know where you are at all times." The man explained, his gaze shifting to Nene. "And who is this?" He asked, looking expectedly. "This is Nene, she was told to speak to Jia." Flayn answered, and the man's eyes ran over Nene in scrutiny. "Who told you this?" He asked, and raised a hand to silence Flayn when she made to answer.

Nene was at a loss, not sure how to answer. The man seemed to notice her struggling, and sighed. "Head back to your class Flayn, I need to speak to her in private." The man instructed her, and she dutifully obeyed. Nene gave a light wave to the retreating form of Flayn, before focusing back on the man in front of her. He did not speak again until Flayn was well out of sight.

The man let out a sigh, placing a hand on his forehead. "Flayn is incredibly trusting." The man began, shaking his head. "While I do not appreciate the deception, I understand the necessity. You're from the same lands as Jia, and Magoichi correct?" The man asked. Nene could feel the crashing wave of relief wash over her. The man seemed to get impatient, and Nene quickly nodded.

"Are you here to take them home?" He asked, sounding hopeful. A beat passed, and Nene finally found her tongue. "Not exactly, but I have information that will help them achieve that." She explained, taking on a much more formal tone than when dealing with Flayn. The man nodded in understanding. "Very well, I suggest you stay out of sight until you leave." He did not mince his words, getting straight to the point. "I understand." Nene acknowledged his wishes, and made to enter Jia's room...

She decided then, and there not to share the truth of her own adventures in Fódlan with the strategist.

Nu Wa looked at Nene blankly. "I hope you've not made things more difficult for the two of them." She said in defeat. "Flayn's a good girl, she won't get in their way." Nene eased the mystic's worries, or at least she thought so. "The important thing is Jia now knows how to get home, mostly." She mumbled the last part, turning to look at a specific tent.

Nene followed Nu Wa's eyeline, and saw the neutral features of Cao Cao looking their way. "If you'll excuse me Nene, I need to discuss what we will do on our end with my lord." Nu Wa explained, making to join Cao Cao. Nene simply watched her walk away, and hoped the mystic did actually have a plan for the lord of Wei...


End file.
